


Temptation (DireWolves MC #1) (18+ Only)

by queenhoneebee



Series: Wattpad Original Stories [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Bikers, F/F, F/M, Motorcycles, Multi, NSFW, Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-12
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-16 14:34:56
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 38
Words: 112,990
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28708263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queenhoneebee/pseuds/queenhoneebee
Summary: Was deleted off Wattpad. I'm looking into self publishing.Gage escaped town for the military at the first chance he got. Cora never forgot about him. And now that he's rumored to be back around town, Cora intends to cement herself in his life, the same way he's always been cemented in her heart.
Series: Wattpad Original Stories [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2104437
Kudos: 2





	1. Prologue

#  **PROLOGUE**

**Third Person**

**10 Years Prior**

Coraline held her breath as she tip-toed slowly across the creaky floorboards. She drew her hair behind her ear as she made her way across the top floor of the house. If she was caught, she’d be punished for sure.

She held the front of her dress up so that she could determine where her feet would land. Her mother had made her wear the damn thing. Said that pretty girls should wear pretty dresses with their hair out.

Cora crinkled her nose in disgust. She wasn’t a dress wearing, ballet dancing, flower crown-wearing kind of girl. Her soul was built up of true grit; of smoking guns and tyres on gravel. Cora was raised on blood and bone, on the sturdy leather seat of a motorcycle, surrounded by foul mouthed men.

And she wouldn’t have it any other way. After all, her doting father was the MC President.

Cora winced when her weight came down on a particularly loud board. The creak seemed to ring in the silence of the hallway, and Cora held her breath as she waited to be yelled at.

But it didn’t come.

She took a deep breath and walked the rest of the way across the floor. Hushed voices could be made out from underneath the door before her, and Cora pressed her ear against it eagerly.

She could hear two voices.

Cora felt a small smile creep onto her face as the deep tones of Gage Emerson’s voice filled her ears. She couldn’t help it when her heart began beating erratically. She was only fifteen, but she knew who she was fated to.

It was his graduation day, the reason for her wearing of the stupid dress. The rest of his party was being held downstairs, but she’d crept upstairs when she’d seen him pulled out of the room.

“I’m leaving,” Gage said in a deep voice.

Somebody heaved a sigh.

“Guess I can’t sway your opinion, huh?”

Cora scowled as the all too familiar voice of Lucas Knight filled her head. Of course, her stupid brother would be the one talking to Gage.

“Can I know the reason? Especially so soon? I mean come on dude, you just finished school, like, _today_ if you hadn’t noticed,” Lucas laughed. Cora could feel her left eyebrow quirk with interest as she laid a hand on the door and leaned in to hear more clearly.

“Gotta get away from some demons. And my father doesn’t think I can make it, so I’m up to prove him wrong, the bastard,” Gage murmured. Cora gave a slight smile at the low baritone of Gage’s voice. If anyone were to walk past right at that moment, they’d think she was off her rocker, smiling at nothing.

But if they knew the truth, they’d just say she was your average fifteen-year old with a crush on her brother’s best friend.

“Well, I respect it, man. If there’s anything I can do to help, you just let me know. We can’t have the newest patched member left stranded.”

Gage scoffed a laugh. “We both know I only got patched because my father pushed for it to happen. Wanted me to have a safety net for if I fail the training.”

Cora could practically feel the grin dripping from Lucas’ mouth. “Yeah but still; youngest member in history? No matter who made it happen, it’s still gotta feel pretty good?”

“It _was_ pretty cool,” Gage laughed.

There was a pause in the conversation and Cora grew worried that the door was going to be thrust open and she’d be discovered.

“So, any idea when you’ll be back?” Lucas quipped.

“Nah. I’ll be there for a while. Wanna be deployed to an active site, you know? May as well try and see some of the action up close or it’s a waste of time, right?”

Lucas laughed. “Don’t worry, Trigger. I know you’ll make it. You’ve got the guts to be some top of the line Lieutenant or something.”

Cora smiled affectionately at the use of Gage’s nickname. People didn’t say it often, and she had no idea why he was branded such a name; but Cora couldn’t help but feel like it suited him.

“Dunno about that. I don’t think I’m cut out to be a leader. That’s more your speed, Tal,” Gage murmured.

Talon. That’s what the MC called Lucas. Something to do with his patching ceremony. He’d held a knife at some guys throat when they started talking shit about his mom.

“Yeah maybe someday,” Lucas chuckled.

“Not someday,” Gage stated. “You’ll be President before Coraline graduates. I’d bet my right hand on it.”

Coraline blushed at the mention of herself, grateful that she’d crossed Gage’s mind, even if it was about something so trivial. It was true, though, Lucas would be patched in as the new MC President before she graduated. Her beloved father was getting aged and wouldn’t risk someone else challenging him. Better to hand over the title before he handed over his life.

“Well, whatever the case, I’ll see to it that you have a position sitting and waiting for whenever you decide to come back,” Lucas stated.

“Thanks, man.”

Cora could feel their conversation nearing its course. She distanced herself from the doorway and hid in another room. She peeked out long enough to see the door open and the two boys emerge. Gage almost had to duck when he came out, he was so tall.

Cora couldn’t help but notice how good he looked, dressed up in a button down and slacks for his ceremony. She watched in silence as the two boys embraced each other in what could only be described as a ‘bro-hug’.

She rolled her eyes as they grinned at each other. Despite their three-year age difference, they had managed to stay best friends practically their whole lives.

Cora heaved a silent sigh as she watched Gage readjust his duffle bag over his shoulder. Then made sure not to make a sound as they walked straight past her and down the stairs. Cora retreated into the bedroom and made her way to the window.

It overlooked the front driveway, and she saw the two boys emerge from the front door. Cora watched wistfully as Gage threw his bag into the trunk of his car before circling around to the driver’s side door.

He paused before getting in, looking up to her window. He looked directly into her eyes and she held her breath, just in case she was imagining it.

But she wasn’t.

Gage frowned, before looking away and falling into the car seat, slamming the door. Cora heard the engine start, before she watched the tyres creep across the gravel drive. She then watched as Lucas sat on the leather seat of his Harley, before following Gage down the road.

Cora swiped under her right eye, ridding it of any trace of the tear that tracked its way down.

She couldn’t help but feel it would be a long time before she laid eyes on Gage Emerson once more.

It was in that moment that she promised herself she would make that moment spectacular.

Something they both would never forget.

.

***wink wink***


	2. 1

#  **CHAPTER ONE**

**Coraline**

**Present Day**

I sighed as I stomped my way out of my apartment complex, glaring at the eviction notice in my hand. I was being childish, and I knew that, but really, what other immediate reaction do you expect from me when I’ve been kicked out of my home.

My beautiful Harley came into sight and I practically threw myself into the leather seat. Adjusting my position so that I was half sitting-half standing, with my feet on the ground to steady myself, I opened the letter with a frustrated tear.

.

NOTICE OF EVICTION

_Dear Ms Knight,_

_Due to constant disregard for the comfort of our other guests, we have decided to remove you from the premises. This notice is lawful irrefutable proof of notice to vacate the grounds within three days of the date stated above._

_As future reference, for the comfort of others, it is advised by the landlord that the tenant become more considerate towards others. This is recommended especially in the regarding of late night guests, and in the disturbance of public curfew hours._

_Rental reference will be refused to the tenant at this time._

_All rental payments and utilities payments for this month are still valid. Please consult your local realtor for leasing payments._

_Failure to meet any further charges may result in lawful intervention._

_We wish you good luck in your search for a new property, Ms Knight._

_Sincerely,_

_Alexa Stubbins_

_General Manager of Pines Apartment Complex_

.

I would’ve put a sailor to shame with the string of cuss words that slipped my tongue after reading that letter.

I ran a hand through my ragged hair, trying to rid it of its tangles. Occupational hazard from riding my bike. The solution would be to just tie up my hair when I ride, but I liked the way that it flew in the wind.

I pursed my lips as I slid my helmet over my face, then kicked the stand back before revving the engine. I lifted my feet and pulled the clutch before letting go and feeling the bike fly forward. I grinned as I set off down the road, leaving my apartment in a cloud of hot Floridian dust.

I watched the numbers on the speedometer climb as I made my way through Okeechobee. Fuck my apartment complex. If they wanted to kick me out for having loud ‘overnight guests’ then screw them. It’s not like I couldn’t afford a new place.

Dear old Dad made sure I’d be well supported after I graduated.

I grinned as I found myself riding the familiar streets until I rolled up at the compound. Before he’d passed, my father had made sure to buy most of the houses on one of the old abandoned estates. He and the rest of the members had renovated all the blocks and made their own little gated community.

The town called it ‘Wolf Territory’, after the club name.

The compound was mostly a bunch of smaller properties that housed the families of patched MC members; and then there was the club house. A giant, looming building right in the middle of it all.

Three stories tall and made of concrete and glass. It was a beautiful building. Too bad the same couldn’t be said for the men on the inside.

The whole property was surrounded by dense grassland and hefty security. Personally, I thought it was too much, and that my brother was being paranoid. Besides, no one had tried to challenge the club since Dad’s early days of Presidency in the 70s.

I pulled my bike up to a stop at the front door, shutting off the engine, pulling off my helmet and sliding off the seat. I adjusted my jacket so that it fell open in the front, revealing my cropped tee and low-rise jeans. I grinned when I felt the hot air slide slowly across my midsection.

I was definitely an ‘if you’ve got it, flaunt it’ kind of girl. It gave Lucas the absolute shits, but I couldn’t care less. It was my body, I was free do to whatever I wanted with it.

I skipped up the front stairs before pushing open the door. I was met instantly with a cloud of smoke and a room that smelt entirely too much like sex. I cringed at the group of men sitting in the living room. They all had variations of joints attached to their lips, and girls in many stages of undress attached to their hips.

Some really bad country musician was blasting through the stereo as the men engaged in what I referred to as a regular Monday afternoon. I rolled my eyes as two women got up from the group and locked lips in the middle of the group. All the men cheered.

They acted as if it was a celebration, but it was fairly normal around here. These girls, I had come to know, had almost no standards.

They were what was known as ‘club pussy’. They were devoted to the MC, or rather, the men of the MC. They acted much like sexual commodities, readily available for any kind of action any of the men might want.

It was like their own private, personal prostitution ring. Only, these girls thrived on it willingly.

The premise had always sickened me, because I felt they weren’t treated like real women, and their actions definitely set Feminism back a couple hundred centuries.

Needless to say, I was practically immune to the sight before me by now. My father had thought it a clever idea for his wife and children to live in the club house while we grew up. Of course, that meant I was exposed to this behaviour from a very young age.

Also, necessary to point out that my sexual awakening came from the very men in front of me. I’d seen entirely too much of these men and women before I even hit puberty.

As I tried to creep past them and up the stairs, I stepped on a particularly creaky board. I winced when my weight came down on it.

All the men looked up and grinned.

“Aww Pres’ daughter is here! We always did want a show from you, love. Your Dad never let us look at ya, but he’s not here, now is he?”

“Yeah, come on over here, baby, I’ll show you a damn good time.”

I cringed at them. It was true, my father had forbidden them to talk about me that way, and Lucas had kept that tradition going.

But I grinned. I knew how to hold my own against these men.

I rounded the corner and stood in the doorway of the living room.

“You wanna keep running your mouth like that, Muggs?” I quipped. He grinned, opening his lap for me to sit down and waving me over.

“I’m as willing as ever, Sweetheart.”

I made my way over to the man. My innards were twisting with unease as I stepped over half naked women, and puddles of god knows what.

When I got near Muggs, I could practically smell the whiskey on his breath.

“What do ya say, love? Come show old Muggsy a good time.”

I grinned coyly, looking up at him through my lashes. I leaned closer to him so that my face was right up in his.

He had the gall to lay one of his hands over my own. Then I pulled my switchblade from my waistband and held it to his throat.

I watched as his eyes widened slightly.

I kept grinning like a fucking Cheshire Cat.

“Talon ain’t the only one who can make threats,” I whispered. The room was practically silent as they waited for me to make my next move. I pressed the blade into Muggs’ skin, drawing a line of crimson blood. “Talk to me like that again, and you’ll find yourself at the business end of a broken dick, and maybe missing a finger or two if you decide to ever be handsy with me again.”

The man gulped, removing his hand from over mine. I paused for a moment before releasing him and stalking out of the room.

As I stomped my way up the stairs, I could hear hoots of laughter coming from the living room as the men resumed their actions.

“You don’t mess with the Pres’ family, idiot!” One chortled.

“Fuck off, Hanson. That bitch is fucking crazy,” Muggs grumbled.

“You shoulda known better, dickhead. She’s just like her old man.”

I grinned at my ability to so quickly show them their place. They might all be more than double my age, but I wasn’t here to be messed with.

Taking the stairs two at a time, I found myself up and in front of Lucas’ office door. I could hear his voice, so I decided to just push open the door.

He gave me a discreet glance when he saw me in the arch of the doorway, while he continued to berate the two boys before him.

They were prospects, boys who wanted to one day be patched into the MC. I could tell because they were both wearing unpatched leather jackets, with ‘Prospect’ stitched into the collar in small cursive.

“You two need to learn that even though you might only be Prospects now, you’ll soon be brothers. Patched and sworn to back each other up. Now this is the most shit argument I’ve ever had to sort. And over what? Whose turn it was to serve drinks? That’s bullshit. You don’t take turns, you just do what you’re told, when you’re told.”

I grinned as Lucas put on his ‘President’ voice to scare the two boys. They couldn’t be more than seventeen or eighteen. Fresh out of high school.

They were always my favourite, they were so ready to please, and usually had a chip on their shoulder because Lucas pulled a lot of under his wing when they came out of Juvie.

“Understand?” He demanded.

“Yes, sir!”

“Yes.”

I watched Lucas’ eyebrow twitch.

“Sir? What am I? Your fucking grandfather?” he demanded. I grinned when the two boys tripped over their words.

“President! Sorry. I mean, yes, President,” one boy stumbled.

“Yes, President,” the other murmured.

“Good. Now get the fuck out of my office. And if either of you are back in here for such a stupid reason, I’ll kick you out of the whole club.”

Both boys rose from their seats and turned for the door. I watched both their eyes widen as they took in my form. I knew how I looked and I didn’t care.

Both boys grinned appreciatively at my choice of attire, and I could see Lucas glaring at the back of their heads. Lucas cleared his throat and the guys came to their senses, averting their eyes and shuffling out the door beside me.

Lucas then turned his glare to me.

“What the hell are you wearing?” he grumbled. I scoffed.

“So good to see you too, dear brother,” I laughed. Lucas wasn’t having it. He just glared at me pointedly. I rolled my eyes. “Chill out, Grandpa. Everything important is covered up,” I smirked.

“You’re so full of it, Coraline. Sit. What do you want?” He sighed, rubbing his forehead.

“What the hell are you full-naming me for? And hey, why do I need a reason to be here? Can’t I just want to sit and chat with my big bro?”

“I know you, Cora. You always want something. Never in my thirty-one years have I met anyone more manipulative than your charming self.”

I grinned. “Fine,” I said, before throwing myself down into an armchair, and my letter down onto his desk.

Lucas raised an eyebrow at me as he picked it up, his eyes grazing over the first three words.

“Are you fucking kidding me? Again?”

I rolled my eyes. “What do you mean ‘again’? This is only like the second time. This doesn’t warrant an ‘again’,” I smirked calmly, waving it off.

“Well, where the hell are you gonna live, Cora?”

I shrugged. “Dunno. Maybe I’ll couch surf,” I grinned, wiggling my eyebrows suggestively. Lucas just scoffed at me.

“Not a chance. You’re staying here, in your old room, where I can keep an eye on you.”

“Hah!” I laughed, “Not a chance in fucking Hell. I’m not sleeping under the same roof as those men downstairs, they’re all fucking pigs! Besides, I don’t need you breathing down my neck over every choice I make. What else have you got?”

Lucas sighed as he ran a hand through his wavy brown hair, giving me an unobstructed view of the ink littered all over his upper arms. They were all beautifully drawn tributes to our Cherokee-Seminole heritage. I’d admired his body art since the days he got them done.

They were always beautiful to me.

“I might have something. But it will definitely be temporary,” Lucas sighed dejectedly. I grinned enthusiastically.

“I’ll take it,” I said.

Lucas glared at me. “I’m serious, Cora. I’m talking, you gotta be out by the weekend because I don’t know when for sure he’s coming back.”

I narrowed my eyes at my brother curiously.

“Well, whose place is it?”

Lucas paused, his eyes piercing straight through me. I could tell he was debating whether or not to actually tell me.

“It’s Trigger’s place.”

My eyes widened. I hadn’t heard that name in years. I thought his house had been sold a long time ago.

“Gage?” I asked, wanting to make sure my ears weren’t deceiving me. I couldn’t help the fact that my heart beat sped up a little. Lucas just glared at me.

“Yes. Now if I give you these keys, you have to promise me that you won’t move anything, and won’t have any guests,” he said harshly. I rolled my eyes, snatching the keys from his outstretched hand.

“I promise. I’ll be an outstanding house sitter,” I grinned. Lucas just rolled his eyes at me.

“Yeah, sure you will,” he snipped. “I’m serious, Cora. Out by Sunday.”

“Cross my heart,” I smirked.

.

**Three Days Later**

I rolled over in the King-sized bed that I was currently lying in. It was the bed in the master bedroom of the house, so I assumed that it was Gage’s. I had tried sleeping in other beds. Honest.

But Gage only seemed to have linen for the master.

The whole house was pretty bare. All the furniture had covers over them, and there weren’t any appliances in the kitchen because Gage hadn’t been here in like a decade.

I’d moved everything out of my old apartment before they could lock me out. Had moved most of it into storage but brought a few things with me to Gage’s place, like a television and a mini fridge, as well as some clothes and a toothbrush.

I’d had to turn the water supply back on, and the electricity, and I felt like I was squatting in a stranger’s house, but at least it was a roof over my head right.

I sighed, bringing the covers up to my naked chest. It was about midday, I had only just woken up for the day. I had to get ready for a shift at The Gallows, the local bar and nightclub owned by yours truly.

Well, half owned.

Lucas had rights to the other half and managed most of it. I just did a lot of shifts there and took half the profits because the lease was half in my name.

Just another thing I can thank dear old Dad for.

I stood up from the bed, letting the covers fall away. I stretched out, feeling the breeze filter across my naked body. Sue me, I like to sleep in the nude.

It’s good for your health.

I made my way to the bathroom, turning on the shower to blast myself with steamy water. One good thing I could say about this place, is that the water pressure was amazing.

After washing my hair, and giving a few terrible renditions of Halsey’s _Colours_ , and Ed Sheeran’s _Give Me Love_ , I made shut off the water and grabbed a towel.

I wrapped it around myself before shoving my toothbrush in my mouth and picking up the blow-dryer. I let the warm air filter through my long chocolate waves, brushing out the minor frizz.

I abandoned my towel and walked back out into the bedroom, pulling on a pair of denim hot pants. As I reached for my bralette that was strung halfway across the duvet, I heard the door swing open and slam against the wall.

“What the hell?”

I looked up in shock, my eyes landing on the incredibly tall man in the doorway. My hands immediately went to cover my chest.

My eyes danced over the man’s olive skinned, toned arms covered with ink, and the unruly dark scruff on the lower half of his face. I glanced over the mop of curly hair atop his head and admired the way his khaki uniform fit so nicely around his figure.

There’s only one man in the entire world that looks this good.

“What’s the matter, Sergeant? Never seen breasts before?” I smirked.

.

**Let the games begin.**


	3. 2

#  **CHAPTER TWO**

**Coraline**

I turned my back on Gage Emerson, pulling on my bralette and then shrugging on a white crop top adorned with the _Beatles_ logo. I turned back around to face him, only to realise I was now alone in the room.

I frowned, walking out into the hallway. I could see down the landing into the living room, where Gage was pacing. I grinned before making my way down the stairs.

I could feel my hair tickling my back with each step, still a little warm from it’s blow-dry. Gage looked up at me when he heard my foot fall on the last creaky step. I watched the way his blue eyes flashed with anger, looking like rolling waves on a stormy sea.

“What the hell are you doing in my house, Coraline?” he spat, his voice like a whip.

I grinned. “Yeah,” I rolled my eyes, “So good to see you too, Gage.”

His jaw clenched. “I think one of us has seen a little too much of the other, if you ask me,” he muttered, clearly thinking it was low enough not to fall on my ears. But I just grinned before looking down at my outfit.

My legs were still very much on display, as was my midsection; and I was sure if I were to turn around, you’d set eyes on the healthy chunk of my ass that was peeking out of my shorts.

He had his arms crossed defensively and was shifting his weight between his feet. He was refusing to meet my eyes and if I didn’t know better, I’d have said he was embarrassed.

That realisation only made me smile wider.

His stance was making him all the more attractive to me. His crossed arms were making his chest puff out, and his long strong legs were spread the perfect distance apart. His short sleeves were allowing me the perfect view of the ink swirling across his forearms and disappearing up his shirt.

That was new?

_To be fair,_ I thought, _the last time you saw him he was eighteen._ I had to stop myself from visibly swooning as I tried to decipher the intricate designs on his forearms. I saw a few faces, and a ship in the water, I think?

I couldn’t take my eyes away. He’d been a boy when he’d left, but this specimen before me? He was all man.

And damn it if I didn’t already want him all to myself.

I could feel every feeling from the ninth grade come rushing back to me. To be fair, they’d never really left. I’d had to suppress them for the fact that I’d never got any closure.

“I gave my keys to Talon. Why are you here?” He growled, shifting his eyes away and rubbing the back of his head distractedly as he pulled me out of my own thoughts. He was clearly uncomfortable with the obvious way that I was eye fucking him.

I smirked, watching his tall frame. He’d definitely grown. When he’d left he had already been taller than me, but now I was drowning in his shadow. If I had to take a guess, he was at least as tall as Lucas, if not taller. So, 6’4” or 6’5”?

My mind immediately ran with that information, imagining all the rest of him that must’ve grown up too. Then I ducked my head, hiding the immediate widening of my eyes.

“Oh, you know? I was just watering your plants,” I joked. Gage just glared at me. I rolled my eyes. “What?” I asked, “You lost your sense of humour somewhere over the Pacific Ocean?”

Gage didn’t say anything, just pinned me in my spot with one frustrated gaze. Okay, why did that flood my panties?

I huffed, annoyed that he wasn’t playing along. He had always been friendly in high school. Where’s _that_ guy gone?

“Fine,” I admitted, “I got evicted from my apartment like, almost a week ago, and Lou let me in. We didn’t know you’d be back so soon. I promise, I was gonna be out by Sunday. Lou made me cross my heart,” I grinned.

Gage scowled at my answer before turning abruptly for the door. I immediately started into action, grabbing his arm.

“Wait, where are you going?”

Gage stopped in his tracks, eyeing my hand that was still caressing his forearm. I let go like it had burned me, but my mind was racing. Everything had just felt so… _taught_?

“I’m going to talk to your _brother_ about invasion of privacy,” he growled. I scoffed.

“Calm your tits, Trigger, he didn’t think you were coming back for another month. Besides I didn’t move anything around.”

I watched his jaw clench at the use of his old nickname. “Yeah, just slept in my bed,” he muttered quietly.

Again, I don’t think he meant for me to hear. I smirked.

“Well fine, you wanna see Lucas? You won’t find him at the clubhouse.”

Gage just looked at me, waiting for me to explain. I rolled my eyes.

“You’ve been gone a while, Emerson. You can’t expect everything to be the same. He’ll be at The Gallows. I’m on my way there now anyway. I’ve got a shift anyway, I can lead you there,” I said, waving my hand. Gage narrowed his eyes at me and I just grinned.

“Fine,” he muttered. “I already knew everything wasn’t the same as soon as I walked into this bloody house,” he said lowly to himself. I grinned.

“Great! Just hang on a sec, I’ve gotta put on shoes and then we’re good to go.” I didn’t give him a chance to reply as I skipped upstairs to find my riding boots and my jacket. When I arrived back in the living room, Gage was standing by the door scrolling through something on his phone.

I tapped my foot on the ground to get his attention. I liked the way his hair bounced when he looked up to meet my gaze.

“Ready to go?” I asked. I didn’t wait for his reply, just pranced past him and out the door. He locked up after me and came to stand on the driveway. I looked around for a moment. The only thing in the driveway besides my bike was his mom’s old pickup.

“Where’s your bike?” I asked. Gage gave me a hard lock.

“Still in storage at the clubhouse.”

I grinned. “Awesome. Well, you can just ride bitch, then.” There was a challenge in my eyes and I secretly hoped he’d get on the back of my Harley, but I knew he never would.

“Not a chance, Coraline.”

I pouted, both at the use of my full name, and the fact that he’d refused my offer. I jutted out my bottom lip as I pulled on my helmet. Gage rolled his eyes when he thought I wasn’t looking.

“Is that really what you’re wearing to ride?” he asked, his voice deep and melodic. I rolled my eyes.

“You sound like my brother,” I chuckled.

“It’s not a joke, Coraline. You could get hurt.”

I rolled my eyes behind the visor of helmet even though he couldn’t see them. “Whatever, _Dad_ , just make sure you keep up. I’m not doubling back to make sure you don’t get lost,” I chuckled.

Gage just glared at me.

“Did you forget I used to live here?”

I grinned as I started my bike. Gage jumped up into the drivers side of the pickup and it started with a mighty roar. I smirked as I revved my engine before speeding out off the concrete and onto the asphalt.

I smiled as I felt the hum of the bike between my legs. I loved this feeling. Riding was my calling in life. Around the rumble of my engine I could hear Gage chugging along behind me. I laughed as I felt the wind whipping in my hair.

I pulled my handlebars up and revved the engine harder, standing as I pulled the bike into a wheelie. I could practically feel the heat of Gage’s glare on the back of my head as I came back down the ground, rounding the last corner on the road to the bar.

There were lines of bikes parked outside and I put mine in to join them. I got up and leaned on the seat as I watched Gage find a space.

He glared at me as he caught up and we moved to walk inside.

“Oh, calm down, Trigger. You’re not the only one who does tricks,” I laughed. Gage just clenched his jaw again.

“Stop calling me that,” he growled as he pushed open the door to the bar. I narrowed my eyes at him, frowning slightly.

I didn’t know why he was so angry with me, besides, with the amount of club members that frequented this bar, he was about to hear that name more times than he could count.

I shrugged, walking in after him and letting my jacket fall off my shoulders. I was met with countless wolf whistles from men who didn’t know any better.

Wanting a rise out of Gage I looked him square in the eye before giving the men a small turn, showing them my behind that peeked out of my denim. Gage glared at me and I grinned before hopping behind the bar.

“Who’s the new guy, darlin?” One man called.

“Yeah, did Pres finally let you off the hook?” Another called. I rolled my eyes at all of them. They clearly didn’t recognise Gage.

“What’s the matter, boys? Don’t recognise your own brother?” I called, grinning at Gage as he just narrowed his eyes at me, sighing. He was met with many hoots of drunk recognition and some slapping on the shoulder.

“Trigger is that you?”

“Ay boys, get over here, the Sarge is back!”

“Hey, Trig’s back from his service!”

I grinned as the drunk men began to surround Gage. It was here that I realised just how tall he actually was. He towered over the others, no one else even coming close.

I began lining up drinks behind the bar, knowing that these men would soon be demanding them, becoming caught up in the celebration of having their Sergeant-At-Arms back in town.

The thought then dawned on me. Was Gage back for good? Or just a small visit? I frowned at the possibility of not seeing him every day after having such a small taste.

I glanced up from the glasses I was filling to see Lucas walking down the stairs from his office.

“The fuck is going on, you drunk assholes?” he laughed. The crowd parted before their President, offering up Gage. I watched as Lou’s eyes widened, as did his smile when his gaze landed on his best friend.

“Well, bend me over and slap my ass fuckin’ rosy,” he laughed, “Or is that a long-lost brother returned home?” Laughter erupted in the bar as they all slapped gage on the back, pushing him forward.

“President?” Gage grinned. It was the first time I’d seen Gage crack a smile, and I was blown away. That grin transformed every beautiful feature on his perfect face.

How was that fair?

Lucas descended the rest of the stairs and embraced Gage for a long moment. The rest of the members were all raising glasses and cheering before drinking in their honour. I watched as Gage began to follow Lucas up the stairs to the office.

Lucas stopped halfway before calling out to me.

“Cora! A free round for every member! This calls for a fuckin’ celebration.”

I rolled my eyes, waving him off as I was met with a hundred more cheers and glasses shoved in my face.

.

**Twelve Hours Later**

It was around midnight, and things at the bar were only just heating up. The club side of the bar had opened two hours ago, so crowds were heavy, music was deafening, and the strobe lights were blinding.

And the orders just kept rolling in.

And Gage still hadn’t come out of my brothers’ office. I had no clue what they must’ve needed to discuss for twelve hours, but I guess it was none of my business.

I had been joined behind the bar by Lucas’ old lady, Luna, and Linc, one of this years Prospects with a steady hand. He was good people.

Linc was much older than the prospects usually let into the club. Most tended to start fresh out of high school, all baby faced and innocent and full of spunk, but not Linc. He had moved to Okeechobee from the next county over when his sister had passed away.

He wanted to find work in a small town so that he could get to know the community and ended up applying to be a mechanic at our VP, Jax’s, workshop. From there he was introduced to the MC world after proving he new how to ride, became this season’s eldest Prospect at twenty-three.

I probably would’ve tried my hand at seducing him if I hadn’t known within two seconds of meeting him that this guy was very much interested in someone else. Linc only had eyes for one house-mouse in particular.

Stacey.

She was twenty-one, and had fallen into the trap of becoming club-pussy after she’d dated Muggs at eighteen. Got addicted to the lifestyle – can’t say I blame her – and began to live and breathe the MC.

I’d had the pleasure of witnessing the moment Linc had met Stacey. His eyes had gone all wide and he’d lost his tongue somewhere. I think Stacey knew too, but that was months ago, and the idiot still had yet to actually ask her out.

“Gonna grow some balls any time soon,” I asked him. I heard Luna chuckle from the other end of the bar as Linc just smiled.

“Shut up, Siren, let me work.”

I smirked at the use of my club name and watched the small blush creep up the base of his neck. I grinned and put down the glass I was polishing.

“Seriously. She’s into you too, just go for it.”

“Leave him alone, Cora,” Luna laughed. I rolled my eyes but didn’t let up my pestering.

“Don’t you wanna just grab her and keep her between your legs and dominate her lips until she melts?” I teased.

“Cut it out, Cor,” Linc sighed. “I’m just taking my time.”

“Mmhmm,” I agreed, “Yup, and every day you put it off, she’ll place you more firmly in the friend zone.”

Linc just rolled his eyes at me.

“Stop pressuring me. I’ll be fine.”

I grinned, shrugging it off. “Alrighty then, Linc-y boy, just as long as you don’t mind the fact that Muggs currently has his tongue an inch down her throat…” I trailed off, pointing in their general direction.

Linc looked up in the direction I had gestured and his mouth set into a hard scowl, his jaw clenching. He turned to me and gave me a hard look, his eyes looking a little heartbroken, before he excused himself and walked to the storage room behind the bar.

Luna looked at me pointedly. “That was a little harsh, yeah?”

I shrugged. I felt bad, but I was just trying to make him get a clue and go get his girl. “Maybe,” I admitted, “But he needs the push. He’s being a pussy.”

Luna rolled her eyes at me and went back to what she was doing. It was then that I noticed Gage walking down the stairs from the office. I caught his eye and gave him a flirty smile, waving him over.

He eyed the group sitting at the bar warily, before turning his eyes back to me and shaking his head slightly.

My forehead creased as I watched him walk out of the bar stiffly. I frowned.

What was his problem?

I didn’t have long to ponder, because someone thrust a schooner at me, demanding another drink. I scowled at them.

“Use your fucking manners, asshole,” I grunted, before snatching away his glass and filling it anyway, then going back to my bartending duties, momentarily pushing thoughts of Gage from my mind.

I then felt the phone in my back pocket vibrate. It was an unknown number but I opened the text anyway.

**You may use my spare bedroom tonight, but better start looking for a new place to live, effective immediately. –G**

I grinned before saving his number in my phone.

This was going to be fun.

.

**And they were roommates…**


	4. 3

#  **CHAPTER THREE**

**Coraline**

I’d been living with Gage for about three days now. I had respected his wishes for me to find a new apartment, and it’s not like I wasn’t trying, it’s just that apartment hunting takes more than a day.

I gripped the keys to the fifth place I’d viewed this week. The landlord had been nice enough to let me up to have a look on my own. I didn’t have high hopes for this place, their website hadn’t been very helpful.

As I swung open the door, I was wafted with the strong smell of marijuana. As someone who had been exposed to such a substance from a very young age, I knew the different smells that accompanied most drugs.

My eyebrows rose as I looked around the dingy one bedroom. The carpet was a cream brown, and dotted with cigarette burns, as well as multiple stains. There was an old couch in the middle of the living room with various rips. I swear I even saw a mouse peeking out of one.

I sighed as I walked through to the kitchen. Half of the cupboard doors were missing, and the window behind the sink was completely smashed. I snapped a few photos. I knew I would never move into this place, but I would need proof for Lou and Gage as to why I’d turned down yet another place.

I made my way to the bedroom. The curtains were yellow where I’m sure they were once white and were spotted with god knows what. The bed, which I would’ve removed anyway, was unmade and there were various stains on the mattress. The frame itself looked fine. It was made of solid wood and wasn’t scratched or burnt or broken.

I made my way into the bathroom and almost gagged as soon as I walked in. The toilet lid was sitting open, and the last tenant hadn’t flushed before they’d left.

My eyes were practically watering as I lifted my foot to close the lid. The shower curtain was half off it’s rings, the porcelain sink was broken, and there was a large red stain on the back of the shower wall.

I wasn’t even going to ask what that was from.

The whole apartment looked like a crime scene. Was it even legal for me to be up here? Did I miss the police tape when I walked in?

This apartment was a nightmare, there was no way I would be living here. I quickly hurried out of the room, wanting to get as far away from this god forsaken building as I could.

I practically sped away from the block on my bike, before arriving at Gage’s and basically throwing myself into the shower in the spare room.

He’d been kind enough to buy linens for me to use on the bed in the spare room. I scrubbed down my body with some watermelon scented soap before washing my face. I needed to cleanse myself of the filth I had just walked through.

When I finished up, I threw on a pair of black skinny jeans with sheer strips on the sides, as well as a black lace bodysuit that may as well have been underwear. Then I pulled on a pair of black stiletto heels. I grinned at myself in the floor length mirror on the wardrobe.

I then moved to the bathroom to paint on my face. I decided on a simple smoky eye with a winged liner. I then painted my lips a creamy nude with a gloss of glitter over the top.

I then styled my hair so that it lay down my back, letting my chocolate waves swing freely. I picked up the jewelry box before me and braided some small feathers into a few strands of my hair.

I grinned. I looked fucking hot. This was one of my favourite outfits and would definitely suit the activities I had planned for the night. When I came back downstairs and into the kitchen, I was met with two large men.

Gage was sitting at the kitchen island with a beer in front of him, his eyes widened slightly when he saw my attire, before looking away quickly. Lucas was standing opposite him with his legs spread and a can of Coke in his hand, he glared at my outfit.

They stopped talking as soon as I came in.

“How’d it go?” Lou asked. I shrugged, handing him my phone.

“Place was a literal nightmare. I think someone might have been murdered in the bathroom,” I shuddered. Lucas scoffed before opening the photos on my phone.

“Holy shit,” he laughed, before turning it around for Gage to see. Gage just rolled his eyes and looked away. Lucas then handed me back my phone and gave me a pointed stare.

“You’re staying at the clubhouse tonight,” he stated, “I told you I didn’t want you in this house anymore.”

I scoffed. “I’m not sleeping in that whore house,” I grinned, “If it bothers you so much, then I’ll book a hotel room.”

Gage grunted. “It’s fine, Tal. She can stay here.”

He wouldn’t meet my eyes and I narrowed my own at him. I had no idea what his problem was with me. We’d been fine when he’d left.

Lucas heaved a sigh. “Fine. I mean, if you’re not bothering Gage then I guess its fine. But seriously, you’re gonna have to just pick one of these places.”

I rolled my eyes. “They’re all shit. I’m going to look at houses tomorrow,” I said, “Not like I don’t have the money for it.”

“Why don’t you just use one of the houses at the compound?” he asked. I sighed.

“Lou, as much as I love you, you drive me crazy and you’re always breathing down my neck. I need my own space.”

Lou scowled. “I wouldn’t have to breathe down your neck if you just put on some goddamn clothes,” he muttered. I rolled my eyes. He was being childish. I turned around and went to the fridge, pulling out a bottle of water.

He moved to change the subject. “Anyways, I wasn’t here on a social visit,” he stated. I opened the bottle and took a swig. “I need you to work the bar tonight.”

I glared at him, wanting to spit my mouthful of water in his face. He’d made me work every night for the last four days. “Get fucked, asshole. I have plans already,” I scoffed, flicking my bottle cap in his face.

Lucas caught the cap before it could hit him, glaring at me.

“I wasn’t asking, Cora.”

I shrugged. “I don’t care, big brother. Ask someone else, I’m not bailing on Roz.”

Rosalind Matthews was my best friend. She worked as a dancer at the local ‘gentleman’s club’, also owned by the MC. Most of the businesses in this town were somehow affiliated with the MC.

Off the top of my head there was The Gallows, Roz’ work, Luna’s ink parlour, Jax’s workshop, a few café’s and diners, and the autobody shop. Then on top of that, my father had dipped his money into the shares of practically everything else, like the hospitals, aged care facilities, schools, realties, car sales, grocers, salons, the strip mall, practically everything you can think of.

Almost nobody knew just how much of the town that the DireWolves MC shared a part of.

Anyway, Roz and I had plans to go to The Gallows anyway, but I needed a night out with my best friend, just dancing and drinking and having fun, not slaving behind the bar for my brother. I never went to the club without her, because otherwise I was just hit on by a hundred different strangers. At least when I had Roz with me, we could fend them off.

“You’re not going out with Roz,” Lucas stated, his eyebrows creasing in disapproval. I rolled my eyes.

“I don’t know why you’ve never liked her,” I said, “She’s been my best friend since I was four, lay off, dickhead.”

Lou sighed at my language. “Don’t make me beg you, Cora.”

I grinned, patting him on the top of his head like I knew he hated. “You can beg all you want, _Pres_ , but it won’t change a damn thing. I’m having a night out and you can’t stop me.”

With that, I skipped out of the kitchen and out of the house. I could hear his grumbling as I left the room.

“She’s driving me fucking mental, man,” Lucas groaned. I heard a soft chuckle from Gage.

“What’d you expect? She’s exactly like Phantom,” Gage said in a low voice. “And if you hadn’t noticed, exactly like you, too.”

I smiled at the mention of my father.

Lucas just continued complaining and I left the house, mounting my Harley before speeding out of the driveway.

.

The club was practically pulsating with music by the time Roz and I made it. We had hung out at her place for a while before coming through. I smiled as she hopped off the back of my Harley. She always rode bitch when we partied.

But that also meant that I had to be the driver. So, my number of drinks was limited compared to hers.

I grinned as we walked inside, the familiar strobe lights attacking my eyes at their first chance. Some EDM crap was playing, but at least it was good for jumping up and down to. I pulled Roz onto the dance floor and we immediately began grinding along the lines of one another.

This wasn’t anything new for us, all I wanted was to get lost in the music. Roz’s tall body glided down mine, her lean figure rubbing against me in all the right places. I grinned up at her as we kept going.

After a few songs, Roz leaned down to my ear. “I’m gonna head to the bar, babe. Be back in five?” she asked.

I grinned nodding. “The usual for me,” I said, before she smiled and turned, walking away towards the bar. I kept my eyes on her pert ass as she walked. I grinned.

Then I danced for myself on the floor. PNAU’s _Chameleon_ came through the giant speakers and I happily sang along. I didn’t care who looked my way, I was here to just have fun. I closed my eyes and continued dancing until I felt someone come up behind me.

I smiled as I grinded against them. They put their hands on my waist and I turned around to see their face.

I had thought it was Roz, but I was extremely wrong. I quickly slapped their hands away and they gave me a glare.

“What the fuck, bitch, just dance,” he growled. I scowled as I noticed the ink on his neck. He bore the cuts of a patched member. Only, they weren’t DireWolves.

I glared at him, eyeing the inked image of a grim reaper. He was a _Diablo_. They were the MC from the next town over, their emblem was purely based on their South American heritage. I was about to tell him off before Roz appeared beside me.

“Are you bothering my girlfriend?” she asked. The man’s eyes widened slightly before he grinned.

“Two, huh? Didn’t think I’d ever be so lucky.”

I scoffed, disgusted. “We’re not interested, Asshole,” I said, as I took my drink from Roz and held her hand. We turned and strutted across to the other side of the dance floor. Before we’d made it, I’d already sculled my Kahlua and Coke.

“Woah, slow down, Babe. We’ve got all night,” Roz laughed, eyeing my empty glass. “What’s up with you, you’ve been distant all afternoon?”

I sighed and paused before going to answer her. It was at that moment that my eyes landed upon the man walking into the bar.

Gage’s eyes flashed as he sat down on a stool at the bar. My words caught in my throat as I watched him order a drink.

“Cory?” Roz asked, I heard her voice in the distance somewhere, before she followed my line of sight.

“Ohhh,” she giggled, “Didn’t know Sarge was back in town. Damn, he got hot!” Her voice was appreciative, and I couldn’t help the harsh glare that overtook my features. I had never liked hearing other girls fawn over Gage, even though he wasn’t mine.

Call me jealous, I don’t care.

Roz grinned, pulling me so that I turned back around to face her. “Now I know what’s got you all riled up.”

I shrugged. “I’m staying at his house too,” I said, “I got evicted, remember? Lucas gave me Gage’s keys and then Gage came home when no one expected it.”

Roz’s eyes widened. “Damn! This has got to be killing you,” she laughed, “You always did have the biggest bitch boner for Trigger.”

I scoffed. “I do not!” I protested. Roz raised her eyebrow at me and grinned.

I rolled my eyes. “Shut up,” I growled. She just laughed.

“So, you gonna do anything about it? How long is he in town?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know how long he’s here for, and yes, I’m working on it. It’s only been a couple days…”

Roz grinned at me. “Well, how about I take your mind off it for a night?” she asked, downing her tequila sunrise. I grinned as she then pulled me back out to the dance floor.

She ran her hands down past my waist and gripped the curve of my ass. I couldn’t help the small moan that left my lips, getting swept up in the loud music. My eyes fluttered closed as her lips descended on my neck.

My own arms wound around her neck to pull her closer as she began her small suckling motions. We swayed slightly to the music.

When she was satisfied with her handiwork, she let go of my neck and I spun around. I pushed my ass into her pelvis and we bean grinding on each other. I loved Roz, she always knew what I needed.

It wasn’t long before my hands were in her hair and my mouth was on hers in a hard, punishing way. My tongue found its way into her mouth and I began exploring, revelling in the small mewls I was pulling from her.

She was panting around our kiss, her breath shallow and sweet from her drink. She tasted of oranges and that bitter tang of alcohol. Her leg was between mine and I grinded down on it slowly as our lips locked back together.

Kissing a woman was completely different to kissing a man. Her lips were softer, smaller, and much more plump. Her hair was all in my face as my hand cupped her chin softly. I could smell her apple shampoo and I smiled.

I had missed this. I had missed my best friend. And before I knew it, she was pulling me into one of the many bathrooms at The Gallows. I smiled as she began to zip down the back of her dress.

.

**Just a taste…**


	5. 4

#  **CHAPTER FOUR**

***mature content warning***

**Coraline**

I smiled as I rolled over in my bed. Roz was sprawled out over the duvet, her naked body glowing in the hue of the morning sun shining through the window. Damn that girl knew how to tire me out.

We had got back to Gage’s place at around three in the morning. We were both extremely delirious and had stumbled our way up to my temporary bedroom before passing out. We’d had a lot of _fun_ in the club… especially in the bathroom.

I grinned as I remembered her tongue on every inch of my skin. I felt myself growing hot at the thought.

I smirked, deciding to have some fun with Roz to wake her up. I slid my body down the covers, before hovering at her feet. I slowly pressed my lips to the inside of her left ankle, revelling in the small intake of air I heard go into her mouth.

I pressed open mouthed kisses up her leg, letting my tongue trail a small wet line along her skin. She was so soft, so smooth everywhere.

I could hear the girl practically panting by the time I neared her sweet mound. I pressed a kiss over it softly before moving past it, it wasn’t quite time yet.

I kept my mouth on her skin as I pressed forward to her bellybutton, dipping my tongue in slightly before moving on. I made my way up her midsection until I reached her two heaving breasts. Her nipples were peaked sweetly, straining in the air.

I blew a cool breath over them and watched as Roz’s whole body let out a small shudder. Then I pressed my mouth over one hotly. I let her nipple fill my mouth as I swirled my tongue around her sweet bud. My hand made sure not to ignore her other nipple, pinching it lightly to keep it peaked.

Roz gave a soft moan of pleasure when I bit my teeth into her breast lightly. I switched to give her other breast the same attention, massaging the skin and listening to her heartbeat begin to stutter.

I pushed a knee between her legs and she began to grind her wetness across my skin. I smiled to myself. I loved this.

I eventually let go of Roz’s breasts, kissing up her deep valley and across her sharp collarbone until I made it to her neck. I suckled gently on her skin, leaving a red mark to match the countless others I made last night.

Roz lifted her hands to my hair, keeping me pressed into her neck as I continued to assault her sweet skin. I then moved up to the shell of her ear, kissing my way around it, before I swiped my lips across her jaw and towards her lips.

I eyed the two pink pillows with eager eyes. I watched as Roz’s tongue crept out of her mouth and swept across her lips hastily. I grinned before pouncing. I captured her lips between mine, biting softly as she continued to grind her naked sex across my leg.

She moaned into out kiss, parting her lips for me. I caressed her waist as I hovered above her, biting down on her lower lip. Roz let out an audible groan, her hands roaming down my body until they reached my ass.

She pulled at the taut skin, releasing a giggle from myself. She wound her legs around my midsection, pushing my sex down to touch hers as our lips kept up their steady rhythm. I opened my eyes when I pulled away from her lips.

She looked straight into my eyes with a drunk look in her own.

“Best wake up ever,” she grinned. I smirked.

“Not over yet, baby,” I whispered huskily. Roz’s eyes sparked as her lips pounced back onto mine, grinding her hips against my own as she held my ass in place.

Our breasts rubbed together as we made out. Roz was going at it with so much force she was practically eating my face. I didn’t care though. This was what I wanted.

I pushed myself off her, separating our lips, to which Roz gave a slight whimper. I grinned as I began kissing my way back down her body. I gave two open mouthed kisses to her nipples before blowing over them again.

Roz let out a breathless moan as I continued. I eventually landed right where I wanted to be, between her legs. I could see her sweet pussy lips pulsating with each breath she took. They were pink and slightly wet with her obvious desire. I quickly kissed the top of her mound and she moaned.

Then my tongue darted out to capture her clit. I massaged at the skin with my tongue and Roz gasped, her hands flying to my hair to press me further. I smiled, my fingers coming to her opening.

I pressed down on her sweet kitty with my thumb, listening to her sharp intake of breath as my thumb disappeared insider her. I didn’t go far, just my nail was embedded in her, and I moved it in small circles and I sucked on her clit.

I could practically feel the way that Roz’s eyes rolled into the back of her head as her hips raised slightly. I smiled before moaning into her skin to send vibrations straight through her.

I opened my mouth further to capture her clit. I ran the tip of my tongue through her folds before beginning to thrust the tip of my thumb in and out of her sweet little kitty.

Roz gave a breathy moan. “More, more...” Roz breathed as she began circling her hips to meet my thrusts. I smirked, removing my thumb, to which Roz gave a small whimper of protest.

She began thrusting her hips in the air, trying to find friction as I removed my tongue from her clit. She groaned in disapproval before I ghosted my fingers across her wet skin.

Her breathing quickened, and I watched her breasts rise and fall with interest. I loved teasing her.

She whimpered again as her hands grasped the sheets.

I circled my fingers around her folds before bending back down so that I was eye level with her clit. I pressed my tongue into her kitty hole and Roz gasped.

“ _Son of a bitch_ ,” she breathed as my tongue thrust in and out of her hole. My thumb circled around her clit, pressing on it intermittently. I continued my assault on her kitty, switching between having my mouth on her hole and her clit until I felt her nearing her climax.

I moved my face away and thrust one finger slowly up inside her. She sighed with content when I slipped back out, before adding a second finger. I started a rhythm and let her hips work herself over. Her breathing became shallow as I added a third finger.

She began to become vocal with her thrusts, panting as I sped my fingers in and out of her. My thumb was circling her clit with bruising force as I steamrolled her to her orgasm.

“Cor,” she gasped, “I’m so close, baby.”

I smirked, gripping her ass with my other hand.

“Let go, baby,” I whispered as I pumped in and out of her sweet little kitty. Roz squeezed her eyes shut as I felt her resolve snap. With a curse and a small squeak, I felt her juices begin to gush from her.

“Fuck,” she gasped, humping my hand like no tomorrow. I scissored my fingers inside her, trying to prolong her pleasure. Her back arched and her hands gripped the sheets.

“Ah, ah, fuck, ah.”

I smirked, punishing her with my hand. Her body shuddered as I felt her coming down from her high. When her back fell flat against the bed I sent her a smile before removing my hand. It was shiny and slick with her juices and I brought it to my mouth with a smile.

I licked my hand clean, my eyes locked with Roz the entire time.

“Fuck, I forgot how hot that was,” she breathed. I grinned before eyeing her kitty. It was slowly leaking with her sweet cream and I did what any sane person would do if they saw that holy sight.

I pounced.

Roz gasped as I held her ass in my hands and pressed my face into her folds, eating up every drop of her sweet cream that her body supplied. She moaned without abandon, her hands burying themselves in my hair as I worked her over.

Her hips began thrusting again before I was rewarded with a second, smaller orgasm. I smiled as I ate it all up, revelling in the succulent taste. When I finally surfaced, Roz eyed me with a grin.

“Shit, it’s on your forehead,” she laughed, covering her mouth with her hand as she giggled. I smiled before crawling back up her body.

“Taste yourself, baby,” I grinned, before laying my lips over hers again. She moaned as she swiped her tongue across my own, eating up the last of her precious juices. When we let go, I smiled lazily.

“Your turn?” she asked, raising a brow. I smiled, but shook my head.

“Nah, I got enough last night,” I smiled as I brushed a strand of hair out of her face. She grinned back at me lazily and we lay like that for about ten minutes.

“Right, well. If you don’t mind, I’m gonna have a shower and go home. I gotta get some sleep before my shift tonight,” she said. I smiled.

“Sure. I’ll go make breakfast and I can drive you home.”

Roz shook her head. “No that’s okay. I’ll call an Uber because I gotta swing by Trader Joes on my way home anyway.”

I nodded and let her leave to use the bathroom. I smiled to myself as I lay down on the covers. I had no idea what I was going to do today. I didn’t have any plans. I threw on a navy blue bralette and a pair of pajama pants before making my way down to the kitchen.

I needed coffee.

When I got there, I was met with the sight of Gage wearing glasses and reading something on a tablet whilst sipping at his own mug of coffee. He looked up at me for a second when he heard me come in.

I gave him a sultry smile, to which he ignored, and I rolled my eyes.

“Whatcha readin’,” I asked, pouring myself a drink from the percolator and adding some creamer.

Gage sighed. “Newspaper.”

I rolled my eyes, sipping away at my drink. I felt the caffeine rush into my veins. I suppressed a moan at the feeling, knowing it would make Gage uncomfortable. We sat in silence as I pulled up a chair and just looked out the window to his garden as I drank.

It wasn’t long before Roz appeared in the doorway. Gage rose his eyebrow at me when she stood there. I ignored him and smiled at her.

“Want anything to eat?” I asked. Roz just grinned as she watched the tension between Gage and myself.

“I’m good, babe. I’m gonna get out of your hair,” she said sweetly, adjusting the length of her tight dress from last night. I grinned and walked up to her.

“Alright, well, have fun at work tonight. Call me when you’re done and update me on all the perverts. You know I love those,” I smiled. She grinned and nodded as we made our way from the kitchen. I opened the front door for her, giving her a quick peck on the mouth before waving her off as she slid into the backseat of her Uber.

When I turned around, Gage was standing at the base of the staircase, giving me a weird look. I answered the question in his eyes.

“That was Roz. We kind of hooked up in high school after Lucas told all the guys not to bother me.”

Gage shrugged slightly, looking away. “Never asked.”

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, sure,” I said dejectedly. I watched him shuffle his way up the stairs. Was that blush on his face a figment of my imagination?

I shrugged it off, throwing myself onto the couch to watch some shitty Netflix movie.

.

A few hours later I dressed myself in some riding gear before making my way outside. I didn’t know where Gage had gone. I hadn’t seen him since Roz left. I eyed my bike in the drive way and grinned.

Just because I didn’t have anything to do today, didn’t mean I wasn’t going to give my baby some ride time. I cast my leg over the other side of the bike, about to slide on my helmet and leave when I heard a crash noise followed by a curse.

I turned around, eyeing the closed door of the garage. I stepped off my bike and walked towards the side door, peering inside with a grin. Gage was underneath his Cage – ha ha, that rhymed – and he was working on something.

His torso was covered in car grease where his shirt had lifted to reveal a strip of tanned skin between his hemline and jeans. I grinned.

“Having some trouble, Sergeant?” I asked politely. Gage froze, before wheeling himself out from underneath the truck. I smiled at him. He had a spot of grease on his forehead.

“What’s up?” he asked, his voice low. I grinned. I looked around his garage. It was fairly packed with stuff. Some furniture he had yet to take inside, and other stuff for working on his bike and truck. Speaking of his bike, I saw it propped up in the corner looking polished.

I had yet to see him ride it.

“I was gonna go up to Dove Trails… Wanna come?” I raised my eyebrow in question.

Gage sighed, looking down at his grease covered hands. Dove Trails were a set of hiking trails up in the mountains. They were a good place to ride because they were winding and there was a great view at the top.

It also happened to be a place where a lot of people went for a roll in the bushes, but that wasn’t what I had in mind.

Today was just about the ride.

“Sure. Just let me clean up a bit,” Gage agreed, pulling me out of my head. I smiled at him.

“Cool. I’ll wait outside.”

He nodded before walking past me and into the house. I watched him go, enjoying the view of his ass as he walked.

Damn this man. He was too hot for his own good.

When he appeared back outside, my eyes landed on his patches. I hadn’t seen him in a club jacket since the day he’d left ten years ago.

The cuts looked good on him.

The DireWolves’ colors were intricate. The center patch mostly consisted of the club’s insignia – a skull head wearing a wolf skin with feathers braided into its cheek; with an ‘MC’ patched beside it. The top rocker had written ‘DireWolves’ and the bottom rocker had ‘Florida’.

Then Gage had patched onto his right breast ‘Sgt. At Arms’, his role in the MC as the enforcer of rule, and on his left breast ‘Trigger’, his nickname. On the cuff of his jacket he also had ‘Youngblood’, signifying the fact that he, to date, was the youngest person to be patched into the club.

I knew he had other patches, like ‘Original’, signifying that he was a family member or descendant of a founding brother; and ‘Okeechobee’ for his county. He probably had many others that I didn’t know of, too.

“You done staring,” he quipped. I grinned.

“Sorry,” I said, “It’s just the first time I’ve seen you wear the colors since you’ve been home.”

He eyed me warily before nodding. “I see you’ve got yours?”

I grinned. Women weren’t usually patched as riders for the club, but I’d all but forced my father to patch me in before he died. I was technically supposed to answer to Lucas as my club President, but that wasn’t why I wore the patch. I wore it because it was a part of my family, a part of me.

And Lucas knew that, so he didn’t force me into club roles and what not. I just wore the patch so I wouldn’t be bothered by other clubs, and so I could feel close to my dad.

My patches were much like Gage’s, only I had my nickname – Siren – over my left breast. I had nothing on my right, because I had no official role in the club, but I had both the ‘Original’ and ‘Okeechobee’ patches.

I smirked as I mounted my bike.

“Loser buys dinner?” I challenged, raising an eyebrow at Gage. I saw the ghost of a smirk trace his lips.

“Prepare to be out of pocket,” he chuckled, before swinging his leg over his bike and racing out the drive. I scoffed.

He was _so_ on.

.

***Drowns self in holy-water***


	6. 5

#  **CHAPTER FIVE**

**Coraline**

I huffed out a breath as I pushed one foot in front of the other. I could feel the sweat beginning to drip down my temples. I grinned as I swung my arms beside me, thrusting myself forward, my feet thundering on the pavement with the rhythm of a steady drum.

Running was like riding for me.

The freedom I felt in such an environment was so distinct and so familiar that it was like the blood running in my veins. I lived for it, craved it.

I could feel my heartbeat in my ears as I forced myself to run faster. Running was like a drug, I could ignore everything about the world, block it all out. Running forced me to concentrate only on the task at hand. It forced me to focus on nothing but fluid motions and not falling over my own feet.

I laughed as I felt my legs give out. If I accounted for the way my hair blew in the wind, I’d say I just made a new personal best time for my mile. I ran a four-mile run most mornings to clear my head, and to get my energy started.

Running was also a way for me to have my time by myself, doing something I enjoyed, and not be bugged by Lucas for it.

It was a safe enough hobby; one where I wouldn’t get dragged off by some stalker at any moment. I was regular enough with my exercise that people were concerned if I didn’t go.

I went by enough places in the town to stay in everyone’s peripherals, which is how my father had wanted it, and I’d never tried to break the habit.

I was happy to do things his way safely if it meant he wouldn’t yell at me.

But that’s life I guess.

I put my hands on my knees as I held my weight to catch my breath. I smiled to myself as I felt my body cooling down, before reaching up to my arm and pausing my Spotify playlist. I had been listening to Demi Lovato’s _Daddy Issues_ because holy shit that song was a jam.

Actually, now that I thought about it, that whole damn album – and basically every single thing she’s ever written – was pure freakin’ gold. Her voice was like an angel from god.

I felt my phone buzz in my hand as a notification came through. Frowning, I opened my text messages and reading the newest from an unknown number.

 **You look so good in those shorts**.

My eyes widened. I looked around, trying to find someone that might’ve been looking at me. I was standing on the side of the road at the main strip of stores in the town.

Wrong number?

I studied the digits, trying to recognize the number. I came up all for naught.

Frowning, I screenshotted the message before deleting it.

I looked around the street one last time, thoroughly creeped out, even though the message probably wasn’t meant for me. I quickly fastened my phone back to my upper arm before beginning my run again.

I made a beeline for the compound, just in case someone might have been looking further into my life than I needed them to.

When I got to the clubhouse, it was still fairly early in the morning, probably around seven. All of the men wouldn’t be up for another hour or so, so I didn’t have to worry about walking in on any unsavory activities.

I hauled myself up the stairs to my old bedroom. I kept a few pairs of clothes here, just in case of emergencies like this. I walked into my adjoining bathroom and treated myself to a nice hot shower, loosening out my tightened muscles.

I then dried myself off and pulled on a pair of ripped, acid-wash skinny jeans, a pair of green Chuck Taylors, a white lace bralette and a cropped long-sleeved green hoodie. I smiled at myself in my mirror before tying up my hair in a messy braid and putting on some moisturizer to downsize the redness in my cheeks.

Then I walked downstairs to the kitchen where I could smell something delicious.

“What’s up, Siren? Didn’t think you’d be here this morning…”

I looked up to find Stacey standing at the counter, a waffle maker in front of her. She wasn’t wearing much, just a Patriots jersey. I grinned. Stacey and I had always got on like a house on fuckin’ fire.

“Not much, Stace. I was in the area for a run and decided to get some clothes from here instead of going all the way home.”

Stacey nodded and shrugged. “I’m makin’ waffles. Want some?”

I smiled. “Hell yeah, girl. You got bacon too?”

Stacey nodded before turning around and pulling down a pan to cook the bacon on the stove. I couldn’t cook for the life of me, so I just resigned myself to a stool and watched her do her thing.

I don’t think she realized, but she started humming while she worked, waiting for the bacon to start sizzling.

Before I knew it, a plate landed in front of me with two waffles covered in maple syrup, and a few slices of bacon. I grinned at Stacey before mumbling some thanks and shoving the delicious food into my mouth.

I couldn’t help the small groan that filtered through my lips at the first taste. Stacey just smirked at me. “That good, huh? Damn, you’re too easy, Cor.”

I narrowed my eyes at her with a smile and flicked a drop of syrup at her in warning. She laughed, holding her hands up.

“Weapons down, babe, I surrender.”

I smiled before continuing with my meal. Stacey grabbed today’s paper from off the counter and we sat in silence as I ate and she read.

I fixated my eyes on the story of the front page, not really paying attention to my surroundings as I focused on the story about something Trump did wrong this week.

I didn’t hear the footsteps behind me, only realized someone was there when Stacey lowered the paper and nodded her head at whoever it was. I turned my head quickly and eyed the tall form.

I grinned when he frowned down at me in confusion.

“Why are _you_ here?” he asked. I rolled my eyes. Stacey excused herself from the room, making her way to god knows where.

“Was on a run, needed a shower,” I shrugged, turning back to my breakfast like it was no big deal. And it wasn’t.

Lucas nodded, his eyes narrowed at me. He knew something was up. I never came to the clubhouse for social calls, it was always for something or when I needed something. I rolled my eyes at him again.

But I couldn’t admit to him that that text message freaked me out, because then he’d go all protective Dad status over what was probably just a wrong number.

“Calm down, _President_. I’m not planting a bomb, I’m just eating waffles.”

“Yeah. _My_ waffles,” Lucas just glared at me as I smirked. Then I heard a flutter of footsteps coming down the stairs.

“Cora?” Luna asked, her voice light. I just grinned at her. “Stealing people’s food again, are we?”

I rolled my eyes. “Hardly. I figured you were all in dire need of my company,” I smiled. Luna just grinned at me, before snatching the last piece of bacon from my plate. I scowled at her, growling playfully.

“Watch yourself, Looney.”

She just stuck her tongue out at me. I grinned before my brother cleared his throat.

“Need a ride home?” he asked. “You can ride bitch…”

I scoffed. “In your dreams, big brother. I refuse to be your back warmer, or anyone’s for that matter.”

I narrowed his eyes at me. “It’s only a couple of blocks to Gage’s place, just suck it up, Cora.”

I grinned. “No chance. Why don’t I just take your bike, and then you can have a couple prospects come and pick it up.”

“You’re shitting me, right?”

“Eh!” Luna scolded, hitting her boyfriend on the shoulder. “Stop talking to your sister like that.” He gave her a flat look, then trained his eyes back on me.

I shrugged. “I didn’t tell her to say anything.”

Luna smirked and gave a small chuckle before grabbing some fruits from the fridge and preparing herself a smoothie. Lucas rolled his eyes, then turned it into a harsh glare and directed it right at me.

“Fine, then just run home.”

I grinned. “Don’t need to. I’m taking Luna’s bike, right babe?” I said, flicking my eyes to her. She smiled before looking at her boyfriend.

“No biggie, babe. She can drive it home, and then I’ll ride it back.”

“But you hate riding…” he said lowly. I could see the hint of a pout on his lips. I think Luna saw it too because she walked around the counter and chucked a finger under his chin before kissing him squarely on the mouth.

“I’ll be safe,” she whispered. Lucas closed his eyes and I looked away, feeling like I was intruding on a private moment.

Lucas had a complex about his girlfriend behind the reigns of a bike ever since the day… well, that’s a story for another time actually.

Wasn’t my place to spill the beans on the ins and outs of my brother’s relationship. It was his tale to tell.

Luna finally let herself back to her smoothie. Lucas left the room but not before I stuck my tongue out at him playfully, to which he just flipped me the bird, rolling his eyes. I laughed.

It wasn’t long before Luna was done with her drink, downing it quickly like it was a tequila shot. I grinned at her before shrugging on one of the spare jackets in the hall, and we made our way out to their garage.

Luna didn’t often ride her bike. It was a Ducati, one of the newest models. It had been a gift to her from the club when she’d been ceremonially patched in as Lucas’ old lady. It was much sleeker and sportier than a Harley like my own, but it didn’t matter to her.

She hardly ever rode it. Lucas had given her lessons on the basics so that she was capable, but she always preferred to be the passenger, or just drive a cage. She tossed me a spare helmet from the side wall and I slid into the driver’s seat.

The plastic hardly used and sharp against my pelvis, rather than the weathered leather of my own. But it didn’t matter. Luna settled in behind me, her arms circling around my waist. I grinned before we took off.

Her bike was speedier than mine, I’ll give her that. The turns were more precise and the engine wasn’t so loud, and the changing of gears and acceleration was much more smooth.

We made it back to Gage’s faster than I could’ve on my own bike.

Luna slipped off the back, unclipping her helmet. “So…? You gonna tell me why you were actually at the club house?”

I hesitated and Luna raised an eyebrow at me. “You know I can tell when you’re lying, right?” she said, “Lucas might take your stories but I can see through them.”

I sighed, contemplating whether I should tell her before huffing and pulling out my phone. I pulled up my photos and flashed her the screenshot.

Her eyebrows raised in surprise as she read the message.

“You got it while on your run?” she guessed. I nodded, slipping the phone back into my pocket.

“Yeah. I came straight to the compound when I got it.”

Luna nodded. “Well, it was probably just a wrong number. But, lay low for the day and tell me first if you get any more.”

I dipped my head in agreement before eyeing her curiously. “You’re not gonna out me to your boyfriend, are you?”

She smirked at me but shook her head. “Nah. If he knew how many things I kept from him, he’d probably have a fit,” she giggled, “But trust, this secret’s locked up tight.”

I smiled and gave her a hug. “You’re gonna be the best sister in law,” I said.

Luna rolled her eyes at me. “He’s had five years to pop that question. I don’t think he’s gonna do it anytime soon. Besides, I’m fine with just being his girlfriend. I know he ain’t goin’ anywhere.”

I grinned. “Yeah no one else would be game to put up with his shit,” I laughed. Luna nodded. And then Gage’s truck pulled into the driveway. Luna eyed it with a smile and then took my helmet and jacket from me.

“I’ll get out of your hair. Lou’ll be wondering where I am by now, and we don’t need him showing up here.”

I nodded and watched her slip back onto her bike and speed off out the driveway. Gage stood beside his hood and watched her go.

“Another _friend_?” he asked. I didn’t miss the indication in his voice. I rolled my eyes.

“That’s Luna. She’s your President’s old lady.”

Gage’s eyes widened slightly in surprise. I was honestly surprised Lucas hadn’t already told Gage. He usually couldn’t keep his mouth shut about her, pussy whipped as he was.

“Oh.”

I smirked at him, preparing to go inside, before I heard something in the back of his truck. I turned around with wide eyes in time to watch Gage open his back door and let out a massive dog.

He was beautiful. A German Shepherd, russet brown and shiny. I couldn’t help the wide smile that lit up my face as the dog’s tongue lolled out of his mouth.

I gave a little squeal and Gage looked up at me with concern, before realizing I was excited. He rolled his eyes at me.

“This is Bullet,” he said lowly, “He was with me in Afghanistan.”

I smiled even wider. “Can I pet it him?” I asked carefully, wondering if he was an aggressive dog. But Gage nodded. I walked up to Bullet slowly, putting out my hand for him to sniff.

But Bullet wasted no time in giving my hand an almighty lick and then nuzzling his face into my hand.

I might’ve exploded a tiny amount with how adorable this dog was. I giggled as I crouched down so that I could rub him all over his head. He licked up the side of my face and I laughed.

I looked up to Gage, who just rolled his eyes at me. He dropped the leash and left me outside with the dog as he turned to go inside.

I huffed, but my frustration with gage quickly dissipated when Bullet moved into my personal space and sat down on his haunches, before putting a front paw on my knee.

I already loved him. He was so cute.

“Oh, my goodness, who’s a good boy, huh?” I grinned, rubbing his head one more time before picking up his lead and standing up. “Let’s go find your Dad, hmm?”

Bullet gave a small bark and I smiled before bringing him inside. Gage was sitting on the couch, and Bullet jumped up to sit with him as soon as I unclipped him. Gage absentmindedly pet the dog as he watched me place the leash on the tall standing table by the door.

“So?” I asked.

“What?” Gage said, his voice bored. I rolled my eyes.

“You’ve been here for like a week? How come Bullet didn’t come with you when you came home before?”

Gage shrugged. “There was some complication with health testing for viruses. They wouldn’t let him through customs. I damn near had to beg my superiors to get him out of the airport and into Florida.”

I watched as Bullet laid his head in Gage’s lap and my heart melted. Gage rubbed his dog’s head, obviously loving the dog very much.

I had never thought that seeing a man loving his dog could be sexy, but damn it if Gage wasn’t. I’d never considered that seeing a man attached to an animal might make me imagine he could show the same affection to a child of his own one day.

There was just something about how relaxed he was, and how easily he opened his arms to this animal that made my ovaries self-combust with the image of a baby bouncing on his knee.

I shook my head to clear it. Dear Lord.

What had gotten into me?

I nodded at Gage, giving Bullet a smile even though I knew he wouldn’t understand it. I went upstairs, wanting to leave him alone so that he could spend some time with his dog. I went into my bedroom, about to lie down on my bed and take a nap, when something caught my eye.

There was something white sitting on my windowsill.

Of a second story bedroom might I just point out.

I popped the hatch so that I could grab the object, and almost dropped it out of shock. I stuck my head out the window, looking for the person who might’ve left it, or even to see how they scaled the house to reach my bedroom.

I couldn’t see anyone.

And in my hands I held a single stemmed white rose.

I dropped it like it had burned me, shaking slightly. This plus that text? Something was starting to creep me out.

.

**Woof.**


	7. 6

#  **CHAPTER SIX**

**Coraline**

The Gallows were loud tonight. It was a Friday, which meant that every sorry ass was out here living it up.

And Lucas had me trapped behind the bar.

Yet all I could focus on was the sight that I’d been met with early this morning when I’d woken up. It was like 3am and I’d been practically wrenched awake from a nightmare.

I made my way downstairs to the kitchen to get a glass of water and clear my head, and been met with the sight of Gage standing by the sink, looking out into his yard. His hair was rumpled and getting longer with each passing day. I could see his faded undercut becoming less precise each day as it grew out.

That wasn’t what had shocked me. I knew he’d had some trouble sleeping because of his jetlag.

No, what shocked me, was the fact that this man was shirtless. I don’t know why it came as such a surprise to myself that he might like to sleep without a shirt; but, I hadn’t seen him like this since I was fifteen and he and Lucas were having a backflip challenge in the pool.

And man, was I drooling?

His arms were completely covered with ink, which I would have to ask him about one day, but his back and chest were clear of it. He had a set of dog tags dangling from his neck, and his chest had a healthy sprinkling of dark hair. That was his Greek heritage shining through.

I’m pretty sure my panties were soaked just at the sight of him.

He looked up when I walked into the room, his eyes hardening, giving my nightwear a once over. I had on a pair of booty shorts and a loose tee without a bra, as well as fuzzy socks on my feet. I knew better than to talk to him as I had grabbed a cold water from the fridge.

As I turned to leave, I noticed the skin on his back. It was speckled with ragged lines and dots. _Scars_ , I told myself. Of course, he would’ve had some. But why so many?

I quickly averted my eyes, knowing that it probably wasn’t a story that he’d be willing to share. And with that I scampered from the kitchen, feeling his eyes burning into the back of my head until I reached my bedroom door.

Bullet was waiting at the door to Gage’s bedroom, but walked over when he saw me. He licked my hand before walking behind me into my room, then jumping up on the bed.

I smiled as I climbed in with him, falling asleep with his body heat at my feet.

“Earth to Cora? Come in, Cora…”

I looked up from the drink that I’d been pouring. While I’d been daydreaming, I’d lost track of time and had spilled the drink all over the bench. Jax was laughing at me. I glared and flicked him with beer until he just grinned.

I handed the drink to the man in front of me, apologizing for the taking my time, before turning back around to give Jax the biggest stink eye I could muster.

Jax was a major pain in my ass. He was the Vice President of the club, and he ran a legitimate mechanics workshop in town. His full name was Jacob Jackson, and his club nickname was Viper, but hardly anyone called him that.

I’d been calling him Jax since the day I met him. He was about four years older than me, and was the biggest annoyance in the world. He was the kind of guy who would tug on your pigtails just to piss you off.

“You’re a piece of shit, you know that?”

Jax just flashed me a lopsided smirk.

“Certain someone on your mind?” he drawled, wiggling his eyebrows at me. He was seated at the bar, playing with the coaster that came with his drink.

I rolled my eyes. “None of your business,” I growled. Jax grinned.

“So, that look on your face wouldn’t be about a tall guy who may or may not have been deployed to Afghanistan for ten years, and only just come back and is now sharing a house with you?”

I glared at Jax. “You’re a nosy son of a bitch,” I told him, polishing some shot glasses, “Stick your head back in your own business.”

Jax just smiled, his eyes glinting with mischief. I rolled my eyes and then steadied myself to ignore him.

“Aww, come on, Cora. Don’t be like that, I’m just playing.” Jax was sending me his signature pout and I wanted to throw a drink in his face, so I settled for sticking my tongue out at him.

“You know you’re twenty-five, right?” he laughed.

_“You know you’re twenty-five, right?”_ I mocked him, “I’m not an idiot, Viper. I know how old I am.”

“Then why don’t you act like it?” he grinned, his voice low and challenging.

I scoffed, miming a phone call. “Uh, hello, yes, is this Kettle? This is Pot, you’re black.”

Jax laughed before sculling the remainder of his beer.

“Why’re you so touchy tonight, huh?” he asked. I took his glass from him and refilled it. I shrugged.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I mumbled. Jax rolled his eyes, lighting a cigarette. I scowled at him for it.

“Sure, Siren,” he said, taking a drag, “And my ass is blue.”

I glared at him. We stared at each other for a minute until Jax gave in.

“Fine, babe. You don’t wanna talk? Then I’ll just go,” he said, getting up from his seat and taking his drink. His cigarette hung off his lips, bouncing as he spoke. “Here’s some advice though; if you want tips, I’d change that sour face into a smiley one.”

I scowled at Jax before flicking a wayward piece of ice at him. He laughed and caught it in his mouth before walking off.

.

It was now like four in the morning. The Gallows had officially closed for the night, and a bunch of us were just sitting around and having a drink. Bruce Springsteen was playing through the speakers.

Luna was perched on my brother’s lap on an old armchair; Jax was sitting on the floor, smoking away at a joint; Gage was on one end of a sofa and I was sat crisscross-applesauce at the other end.

Linc was standing by the bar with Stacey sitting on a stool next to him; then the club Treasurer, Reaper, was shooting pool with our weapons handler and road captain, Sticks, who had a club girl attached to his hip.

This was my favorite part about my life. I could sit around with my friends and basically just do anything. Our hang outs were completely chill. There were nights where Jax and Reaper would be so drunk or so high that they’d sing karaoke unprovoked.

It was just a great way to unwind about the week.

Only, tonight, I was finding it a little difficult. I couldn’t help but feel hyperaware of my surroundings, especially of Gage. He was wearing a black short sleeved shirt with dark jeans and riding boots. His cuts were hanging over the arm of the sofa, and he was lounging back with a relaxed look in his eye.

I’d watched him take a hit of Jax’s blunt a few minutes ago.

But all I could focus on were the swirls of the designs on his arms that disappeared under his sleeves. I wanted to know what they meant to him. I wanted to know when he got them done and where and why. I wanted to know every little thing about this man.

I darted my eyes around the room as I took sips from my beer. I smiled before averting my eyes when I saw Luna kissing Lucas’ neck affectionately. As much as I hated other people’s PDA, I knew those two were good for each other.

When he had found her in that club that day, and all the shit that happened between them happened, I was so happy that they had managed to pull their relationship through. They were definitely meant to be with each other.

I had never believed in soulmates; but, my father’s mother – who always leaned on her Cherokee-Seminole heritage to guide her life decisions – believed that like Wolves and Bald Eagles, we as people would always be monogamous, and that there was one person out there for each of us.

I had never put much faith in that theory, because I had watched countless people fall in and out of love; but, when I saw Luna and Lucas together after all the shit that they went through, I knew my grandmother was right.

And it gave me hope for my future.

And I should’ve realized it sooner, because I had the perfect example of such a relationship in my own parents. My mother, who’s heritage was distinctly European, fell in love with my father when she was twenty-two, and he was thirty-five. They eloped to avoid criticism from her parents because they hated that she fell in love with an outlaw biker who was more than ten years her senior. They thought my father was taking advantage of her.

And the they settled and had two children. They had been the perfect example for my grandmother’s view on soulmates.

I smiled at the memory of my dear grandmother. Lucas and I had no one left. Our mother passed when I was sixteen when she was hit by a car whilst on a ride. The drivers of the car were two underage drunk idiots from my school. I couldn’t bear to see them in the halls every day, knowing what they’d done to my sweet, gentle mom.

I had never spoken to my mothers parents, because they continued to hate my father. My father’s father had passed away before I was born, and my grandmother passed when I was twenty-two, of natural causes. Then my father passed from a collapsed lung when I was twenty-three, because he had smoked a pack every day for almost forty years.

And Lou and I had been left anything and everything any of them had every owned.

“Alright, we have an announcement,” Luna called. I looked up from the spot on the carpet that I’d been staring idly at while I daydreamed.

Lucas grinned behind his girlfriend as everyone gave her their attention. Linc shut off the stereo, and Reaper and Sticks paused their game of pool. Jax had his blunt halfway between the tray and his lips, and Gage was leaning forward in his seat.

Luna held up her hand and my eyes widened at the giant jewel sitting pretty on her finger. “Uhm… We’re engaged,” she said sheepishly. I held back my squeal of excitement as a huge smile lit up my face.

“Took you long enough,” I fired at my brother, to which he just rolled his eyes and flipped the bird at me.

“Yeah, congrats man,” Jax said lazily.

There was a round of congratulations given to the couple as everyone took their turn slapping Lucas on the back, or in Jax’s case, just giving him an air high-five because he was too stoned to get up from the floor.

“So, how did it happen?” Stacey asked. She had moved to sit beside me, between myself and Gage, so that she could admire Luna’s ring.

It was a gigantic bright white diamond with stunning clarity, sitting on top of a simple silver band.

“Do you wanna tell the story, babe?” she asked Lucas. I watched as he shook his head, a slight blush crawling up the base of his neck as he fiddled his fingers.

“You’re so fucking whipped,” I told him, “You were a sappy little shit, weren’t you?” I laughed. “Was he?” I said to Luna.

Luna just grinned at her fiancé, a mischievous look in her eye. Lucas rolled his eyes, taking a swig from his beer as he looked everywhere else but at his fiancé.

“I fucking knew it!” I laughed. “You’ll never live it down, big bro. Now spill the beans, Luna-bear.”

“Well,” she started, “He started off with a dinner date, and I was like, hell yeah this is going so well, only I was a little bit confused because we took the car and not his bike?”

“Wait, pause,” I interrupted, turning to face my brother, “Don’t tell me you put it in the cake or something lame like that?”

Lucas glared at me, not having time to reply because Luna tugged on my arm. “Just let me tell it,” she smiled. “So we take the car, and I was like, okay, maybe he’s just finally sick of hearing me complain about having messed up hair on our date nights because we always go on the bike.”

“What are you talking about?” Lucas complained, “You told me you liked my bike!”

Luna glared at her fiancé. “Is a girl allowed to finish a story around here?!”

Lucas waved his hand and Luna kept going with her story. “So, anyway, we’re having dinner and he was acting all nervous, and I’m like, okay something is going on here, you’re being really weird. Like he ordered my favorite wine, and he didn’t argue with the waiter when he came to get our order-”

“I never argue with the fucking waiter!”

“Shut up!” Luna shushed her boyfriend, and Lucas rolled his eyes, crossing his arms. “So, then we had a really nice meal, and we got some really good dessert but then Lou asked for it to-go. So, I was like, okay, what? And then he asked me if I wanted to just go around the town for a little while and find somewhere to have our dessert. And I was like, okay yeah, that sounds super cute. So he settled the bill and then we got in the car, and I went along with it because I had no idea what he was planning.”

“It’s definitely in the cake,” I laughed, “You’re such a cheese ass.” Lucas flipped me off again.

“So, _anyway_ ,” Luna drawls, “We get back in the car, and he drove us all the way up to the top of Dove Trails, and he gets us out of the car and then, I had no idea, but you can see like the whole town from up there and it’s so pretty and the lights are so beautiful. And then so we start eating our dessert and Lou is bein’ all cute and shit, and then we just kind of sat there and looked out over the lights.”

“Wait, so it wasn’t in the dessert?” Stacey asked.

“No! I’m not a fuckin’ idiot,” Lucas groaned. I grinned and Luna laughed slightly.

“No, maybe not an idiot, babe, but definitely still a cheese ass.”

“Shut up, you loved it,” Lucas mumbled. Luna grinned.

“Oh definitely,” she laughed. “So anyway, then he starts spouting like some prepared speech about how I’m the best thing that ever happened to him-”

“I’m officially offended,” Jax chimed in, grinning just to get on Lucas’ nerves, “You always told me that I was the best thing that ever happened to you.”

Lucas glared at him. “Shut up, Viper.”

“I’m just saying,” Jax said, “Were all those nights in my bed a lie? Were you just using me?” He began to fake cry and Lucas threw a pillow at him. Jax just cackled when it knocked him over.

“Oh, Talon, how quickly you dismiss our love!”

Luna put her hand on Lucas’ knee to stop him from getting up and pummeling Jax into the ground. “ _Anyway!_ He’s spouting all this cute cute crap about how he wants to spend the rest of his life with me and blah blah blah, by now I know where it’s going, so I just kissed him to shut him up. Then I told him to hurry up and ask me before I change my mind. So, he popped the question and I said yes and now here we are,” she smiled.

Stacey and I squealed and Lucas covered his ears. Gage rolled his eyes at us and Jax then mocked us with a girly scream of his own. Only he chimed in about a second and a half too late, so he sounded like an idiot.

We all laughed and Jax scowled. He didn’t like being made fun of. He just liked to dish out the insults, not take them back.

I grinned, frizzing Jax’s hair.

“I’m so happy for you guys,” I said, smiling, “But for reals tho, Lou. You’re the cheesiest person I’ve ever met.”

Lucas threw a pillow at me and I grinned.

.

**Sue me, I love a good engagement story.**


	8. 7

#  **CHAPTER SEVEN**

**Coraline**

Surprise, surprise. I was working at the bar again. It was practically the only thing I did with my life these days. Apart from house hunting during the day.

I was close to the end of my shift, and tonight was a specifically hard night, because a bunch of _Diablos_ had shown up to drink, despite knowing it was a DireWolves Bar.

They were practically begging for trouble if you ask me.

Either way, they had no respect for the bar staff, and Luna and I had found ourselves being yelled at by countless men. Of course, Lucas was up in his office, purposefully avoiding the Diablos men so that an all-out brawl wouldn’t start, so there wasn’t really anyone to defend us.

“Eh, baby. Why don’t you come warm my bed tonight?” One slurred. I eyed him with a scowl. His shaggy blond hair was falling in his eyes and he was staggering, his drink sloshing around in its cup. His buddies all laughed, thinking it was the best joke in the world.

I wanted him out, but that wasn’t really up to me. When he didn’t get a reply from me, he moved on to Luna.

“Hey, nice legs, beautiful. What time do they open?”

“They’re glued shut, asshole,” she retorted. I could see some of the DireWolves men beginning to move around, obviously not happy with these outsiders hitting on their President’s fiancé and little sister.

“Aww, don’t be like that, baby girl,” the man pouted, “I just wanna compliment you. C’mon, let me buy you a drink… or do you just want the money?”

Luna gasped and I glared, furious with this man’s behavior. This man was a complete sleaze. I waved over Ben, the security guard, and directed him towards the drunk Diablo. I could see Gage standing at the back wall, his eyes trained on the man in front of me.

Gage had his hand wrapped around a glass, his knuckles white with the amount of force he was using. I caught his eye and he raised his eyebrow, asking me if I was okay.

I waved him off, telling him I could handle it.

Then the Diablo started making a fuss when Ben began escorting him out.

I saw Gage take a step forward when the drunk’s buddies started yelling and complaining that their friend was just having a joke, and that we were overreacting. I tried to glare at Gage, trying to tell him to lay off and not come any closer, but of course he didn’t listen.

He walked right up to the bar and stood in front of both Luna and myself.

“You two alright,” he asked, his voice almost too low to hear. Luna nodded, going back to her bar duties and I felt Gage settle his harsh gaze on me.

“What the hell was that?” he growled at me, out of earshot of Luna. I scoffed.

“Oh, yeah. Because that was all my fault?” I said, my voice practically dripping. “Don’t be an asshole, Gage. That had nothing to do with me, and everything to do with a drunk outsider.”

The man only glared at me. “Don’t play games, Coraline.”

There he goes again with the full name. He never just calls me Cora, or Siren, or anything else. It’s always, Coraline. Condescending prick that he is, must know it annoys me and just calls me that to piss me off.

“I’m not playing games, _Trigger_.”

The corner of his mouth twitched as his stare hardened. He shook his head slightly before leaving. I barely caught the end of his mutter.

“Maybe if she put some goddamn clothes on for once, then we wouldn’t have this damn problem,” he muttered. I knew I wasn’t meant to hear him, but I had.

I huffed, looking down at what I was wearing. It wasn’t even a particularly skin-showing outfit today. I was wearing a pair of long paint-splattered overalls with a cropped tee underneath, and a pair of black Docs. This was probably one of the most covered outfits I owned.

I had modelled it after the style queen herself, Kate McKinnon as Jillian Holtzmann in the all-female _Ghostbusters_. If you haven’t seen it, or don’t know who Kate McKinnon is, then escort yourself off this planet.

“Someone’s jealous,” Luna voiced. I looked over at her and she cocked her head in Gage’s direction with a grin. “You on that?”

I rolled my eyes. “You couldn’t be more wrong. He’s not interested,” I said, “Just a pain in my ass.”

Luna grinned. “Mmhmm, sure.” She popped her eyebrows. I scoffed.

“Why are you saying it like that. He’s not.”

Luna just chuckled. “Alright, babe, but just know, Lucas always brings up my clothing choices when he’s jealous.”

“You heard that?”

Luna grinned, nodding slightly. “He may as well have yelled it, hun. He’s into you.”

I shook my head. “You’re dead wrong. He’s just being a pain in my ass like my brother, criticizing me for everything I do.”

Luna nodded, not saying anything, but we both watched Gage stalk angrily out the doors of the bar. I sighed.

“Well, it doesn’t matter anyway. I’m done for the night. I was only doing the early shift.”

Luna pouted at me. “Wish I could leave, but Lou’s not done upstairs yet so there’s no point in me leaving yet.”

I smiled. “Well, you’ll have Linc to keep you company,” I said, waving over Linc to take my place. Then before I knew it, I was out the door, on my bike, and then walking through the front door of Gage’s house.

His bike wasn’t in the driveway, so I knew he wasn’t home. It was about midnight, having done the early shift, and I was ready to just sit in a pile of chip crumbs and candy wrappers on the sofa. So, I turned on my Hulu to watch Game of Thrones.

Then I ran upstairs to get changed into more comfortable clothes. Bullet was already perched on the sofa when I came back down. I grinned before settling in beside him, giving him a soft pat before he laid his head in my lap.

I was in the middle of re-watching Season 2, and was getting excited for the Ygritte-Jon Snow love story when she first appeared back on the screen.

I gave a small squeal of appreciation and almost sunk into my stupor of fangirling, when my phone rang. I frowned, pausing the show as I picked up my cell.

My eyes widened slightly when I saw it was an unknown number. I debated whether to answer, wondering if it might be the creep that texted me a few days ago. I took in a deep breath. “C’mon, Cora, you’re better than this. You’re not afraid of unknown numbers.”

I answered the call and was met with what sounded like a crowded bus station.

“Coraline Knight? This is Chief Wells from the police department.”

I sighed, well at least it wasn’t some weirdo. “Good morning, Chief. Bit early for a social call, don’t you think.” I could hear his chuckle come through the line.

“It is, my dear. Unfortunately, this isn’t a social call.”

“Okay? What is it?” I laughed.

“We’ve got two gentlemen here who’ve been arrested tonight for an act of physical assault. A Mr. Jacob Jackson, and a Mr. Gage Emerson.”

“Shit,” I swore. My head fell in my hands. Those stupid men.

“Neither have been charged. It seems they were acting in self-defense, but they do require transportation from the station as they’re being released in twenty minutes.”

I sighed, rubbing a hand down my face.

“Of course, Chief. I’ll come and get them. Thanks for calling.”

“No, worries, dear.”

“Uhm, before you go, I doubt I’ll get any information out of either of them, so can you tell me who they were fighting with?”

“They had a tussle with two men wearing Diablos cuts.”

I cursed again, groaning inwardly. “Was one of them blond? Long hair, really shaggy?”

“Yes. Do you know him?”

“Not really. He was escorted out of The Gallows a few hours ago by security, when he started hitting on Talon’s fiancé, Luna.”

“Oh,” the Chief laughed, “Fiancé, huh? So, he finally popped the question?”

I grinned. “Yeah, he took his time, right?”

“Seems that way. Well, darlin’, I’ve got to make some more calls so I should be going.”

“Okay. Do I need to bring ID or any money with me to pick them up? Or sign anything?”

“You’ll need ID to sign their release reports.”

“Alright, thanks Chief.”

“Don’t sweat it, dear.”

I hung up the phone before sighing and letting my head fall into my hands. What the hell was Gage getting himself into? I groaned, shutting off the television as I grabbed my wallet and my jacket.

“I gotta go and rescue your idiot Dad,” I said to Bullet, rubbing him between the ears as I got up, “You probably know all about that.”

I pulled the keys to Gage’s truck off the hook before locking the house. I’d need his truck if I was picking up two morons.

When I arrived at the police station, one of the deputies greeted me and let me sign all of the release forms, then they took me to the holding cells in the back.

When I walked in, I noticed Gage and Jax in the cell on the right, deliberately separated from the two Diablos in the cell on the left. One of them was the drunk sleaze from the bar, and the other was a beefy brunette.

“Cora!” Jax cheered. “Bustin’ us out? Didn’t know you had it in ya,” he grinned. I rolled my eyes and noticed Gage glaring at me. I gave him an exasperated look. He was lucky I was even here.

“Not quite, Viper. Neither of you idiots actually got charged. Something about self-defense. I’m just on pick-up duty.”

Jax just laughed, squinting at me. He had a black eye, the thing almost swollen shut. I let my eyes sweep over Gage, assessing him for damage, too. At first glance he looked clean, until I noticed that his lip was slightly busted, he’d done a good job at cleaning it up, though.

The two Diablos looked way worse. The blond had a cut above his eyebrow, and it was leaking blood down into his eye; and the brunette looked like his arm would probably need a sling.

I frowned, looking back to my two idiots. The deputy unlocked their cell, and Jax practically skipped out, Gage trudging quietly behind him.

“Thanks, Mikey,” I said, smiling at the Deputy.

“Any time, Cora,” Mikey grinned at me; we had been in the same year at high-school. When I turned back around, Gage was glaring at the floor and Jax was completely oblivious.

I led them out of the station, piling them into the truck. Gage tried to go for the driver’s door but I tapped him on the shoulder.

“Nuh-uh-uh, Rocky. Chief says neither of you can drive from the station. That’s why _I’ve_ got the keys.”

Gage glared at me. “And what makes you think I’d let you drive my truck?”

I grinned. “Well you’ll just have to deal with it, besides, how do you think it got here in the first place?”

Jax was laughing in the back seat and I had a sneaking suspicion that he might be high. Gage glared at me and I just shrugged, knowing there was no way he was winning this.

He finally huffed, breaking our stare before begrudgingly getting into the passenger seat. Needless to say, the car ride home was completely silent. Gage had spent the whole ride glaring out the window like some emo teenager who hated their parents.

Jax spent the whole ride telling himself knock-knock jokes. When we arrived at his apartment, I took him upstairs while Gage stayed in the car to sulk. Jax grinned lazily at me when I unlocked his door and set him down on his couch.

“Mm so comfy,” he smiled, lying down.

I rolled my eyes. Before pushing a nearby trashcan over by his head as his eyes drooped closed. Then I made my way out, locking the door behind me.

By the time I’d made it back to the truck, Gage looked a little less cranky.

We were halfway between Jax’s apartment and Gage’s house when he finally spoke to me.

“Why did you let that asshole flirt with you at the bar?”

I sighed. “You gonna lecture me?” I asked, giving him a side glare. Gage rolled his eyes. I heard Luna’s words from earlier ringing in my ears. Could he be jealous?

“I’m serious. You’re gonna lead someone on, one day, and get yourself in danger.”

I rolled my eyes. “I won’t deny that flirting is good for tips,” I said, “But in saying that, I wasn’t flirting with that douchebag. He was hitting on me. There’s a difference.”

Gage didn’t say anything.

“He moved on when I didn’t give him what he wanted,” I said, “And I called over security when he started being an absolute asshole. I can handle myself, Gage.”

Gage sighed. “I’m not saying you can’t. I’m just saying, why put yourself in that situation in the first place?”

I scoffed before deciding to change the subject. “What’d you do to him anyway? His face looked pretty bad.”

Gage was silent for a while, and for a moment there I thought he was going to go back to ignoring me. “I didn’t touch him. That was all Jax. I found him getting high with someone and went to take him home, then the two guys came up behind us. The blond punched Jax in the face, so Jax punched him back. Then his friend tried to punch me, so I dislocated his shoulder. Then the cops caught us.”

“You dislocated his shoulder?” I flicked my eyes away from the road for a moment to give him a surprised glance. I didn’t miss the way the corner of his mouth lifted slightly in a smirk.

“Proficiency in hand to hand combat was a requirement for all men overseas.”

My words caught in my throat. “Oh.”

Hearing him make any mention of his time in Afghanistan always made me stop in my tracks. I didn’t know how I was supposed to reply to any of it. We rolled up to the house and Gage got out of the truck before walking inside.

I could hear Bullet barking at the door, only calming down when he recognized Gage. I followed him into the house before settling back down onto the sofa and turning Game of Thrones back on.

I was up to the part where Jon Snow and Ygritte are separated from the other Watchmen. Bullet ran back into the room, settling on the couch with me. I smiled, before freezing when I realized he was followed by his owner.

I could feel Gage standing behind me. I turned slightly to see his eyes trained on the television. I paused the show, making him turn to lock eyes with me.

“You can join me, you know?”

Gage frowned. “What are you watching?”

I grinned. “Game of Thrones. You’ve never heard of it?”

Gage turned to send me a small look. Right. Hasn’t been in society for ten years. Of course, he’s never heard of it.

I mentally face palmed myself as I moved my legs for him to sit on the couch with me. I tried not to celebrate in my head when he fell into the seat.

“Well, long story short, it’s set in a medieval era, and people are killing each other for a chance to be King. Pretty straightforward in a sense, but there are a ton of characters and side plots and what not.”

Gage frowned but nodded slightly.

“Oh! And there’s dragons and magic,” I added happily, “And a whole lot of sex!” Gage rolled his eyes and I smirked at him. “Don’t write it off so soon, it’s a really good show, and pretty much obsessed over by the whole world, so don’t boycott it til’ you’ve tried it.”

Gage sighed. “Fine, press play.”

I grinned. “Alright, bit of backstory. This is Jon Snow and Ygritte. He grew up in a castle as the illegitimate son of a Lord, and she grew up as a Wildling, which is basically just a race of people who live in the woods.

“There’s a war going on and he’s captured her as a prisoner and they got separated from his people when she tried to escape, and now he’s captured her again and they’re trying to find their way back.”

Gage frowned, obviously confused. I grinned. “I told you there was heaps of side plots.”

He sighed. “Just press play.”

I shrugged, “Fine.” We sat in silence as the two characters made their way through the snowy mountains.

“Isn’t he just the hottest?” I gushed, grinning as I pet Bullet’s soft fur. I turned my head to catch Gage’s eye. He was sending me a weird look, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“What?” I asked. Did I have something on my face?

Gage frowned. “I thought…” He seemed to think better of his words. “Never mind,” he mumbled. I was confused for a moment before it hit me.

I smirked. “You thought I was into girls?” I asked.

I watched as a small blush crept up gage’s neck. He wouldn’t meet my eyes and I knew I’d hit the nail on the head.

“Well, I don’t have a preference. If you were curious,” I smiled. And it was true, I really didn’t have a preference.

Gage didn’t answer me, so I cast my eyes back to the television. It was now nighttime, and Ygritte and Jon had had to find shelter in a cavern. Ahh yes, the famous cave scene. I watched as they both started to get undressed, then grinned as Gage excused himself, obviously embarrassed.

I allowed myself a giggle, patting his goofy dog as he made his way upstairs before slamming the door to his room.

.

**Winter is coming.**


	9. 8

#  **CHAPTER EIGHT**

**Coraline**

“This looks absolutely perfect,” I said. I smiled as I ran my fingers over the white marble countertop. This house was beautiful. I had finally enlisted the help of a real estate agent to help me find somewhere to live.

I’d been living in Gage’s house for a few weeks now and I knew I was overstaying my welcome. I hardly saw him as I spent most of my time out of the house, but I knew I was intruding on his space.

I was sad to be leaving, though. After Gage had brought Bullet home, I had loved him instantly, and vice versa. That adorable dog slept on my bed at night and gave me cuddles during the day, when I was home. I took him with me most mornings on my runs through Dove Trails, not only because he needed the exercise, but because I also wanted a little extra protection.

I’d had the feeling someone was watching me ever since I got that text.

And the feeling hadn’t escaped me, even now as I was touring this house. It was a brand new, two-bedroom, ranch style house. The interior was all white and pristine, and had marble accents on every countertop. I had fallen in love pretty much as soon as I walked in the door.

Despite the way I looked, I loved things to be clean, and the white walls just made everything seem huge. I was loving it.

“Well, if you’re truly interested, the rent is $2,000 a month, and we can have you moved in by Saturday,” Holly, my agent, told me. She held a clipboard in the crook of her bent arm, and her cellphone in the other.

I smiled at her. “And if I want to buy it outright?”

I watched as Holly popped her eyebrow slightly. She didn’t think I could afford it. She obviously didn’t know who my family was.

“Well, that would be a large investment. The property itself is $400,000 unfurnished. And if you did want it furnished it would be another $10-$15,000,” she eyed me warily and I resisted the chance to roll my eyes.

“I’m good for it. I’ll take it,” I smiled.

Holly raised her eyebrows but smiled. “Oh. Well alright then. Let’s get back to the office so we can start filling out paperwork and so that we can check your deposits and get statements from your bank and whatnot.”

I shrugged. “Okay, sounds good to me.” And twenty minutes later we were sitting in her office with her boss, talking about how a twenty-five-year-old could afford a house.

I sighed as they asked me for the thousandth time, where my money was coming from, and how I might keep up with utility payments and such. “I work at a bar most nights of the week, but my money comes from a trust fund that I inherited when my father passed away.”

“And may we ask who your father was?”

I grinned. “Richard Knight. Former President of the DireWolves MC and a firm investor in many legitimate businesses in this town. When he passed, those investment titles were split between myself and my brother. Any more questions about how I can afford this house, or should I take my business elsewhere?”

I smirked at the shocked looks on their faces. They obviously hadn’t put two and two together despite having clearly told them my surname, and the fact that I was wearing my jacket.

They started sputtering around me. “Oh, no, Ms Knight. Of course, we can establish these records right away. We’ll have the deed to the house for you to sign within the week.”

I stopped myself from rolling my eyes. “Thankyou. I’ll consult my bank and organize a wire transfer for the payments. Have a nice day,” I said, excusing myself from the room.

I finally allowed myself a roll of the eyes as I left the room. I smirked as I made my way out of the building, before almost literally running into a tall, tanned woman.

“Oh! I am so sorry, I didn’t see you there,” I apologized.

“Oh, no need to apologize, dear, I’m quite alri– Coraline?” The woman asked. I finally looked up, meeting the woman’s eyes.

“Mrs. Emerson?” I smiled. She grinned before embracing me.

“Oh, my dear. I haven’t seen you in a long time, since your father’s funeral, yes? Stand back, let me look at you.”

I took a step back, still surprised at having run into Gage’s mom. I gave her a small smile as she looked me up and down. She clicked her tongue disapprovingly at my attire but then gave me a wide smile. She then brought her hand up to brush a strand of curly hair from my face.

“Oh, I forgot how much you looked like your mother,” she smiled sadly. I nodded, still unsure as to what she was doing in town. Margaret had moved out of town when she divorced her husband, before Gage was deployed.

“I-Uhm, thank you. What are you doing here?” I asked. Margaret smiled.

“Oh. Well I just had my monthly appointment with Sherry, over at the Salon. I’ve been going to her for thirty years now, I don’t trust anyone else with these curls,” she laughed.

I smiled. “Uhm, does Gage know you’re here?” I asked. Margaret scoffed at me.

“Oh honey, he’s still overseas,” she gushed, “I wish he’d come home soon, though. He’s been gone much too long.”

My eyes widened slightly. She didn’t know he was back. Margaret interrupted my train of thought by stroking my hair again. “Now, I’ve got to get back to my house to feed my cat, but you take care of yourself, yes?” She asked.

I nodded silently, giving her a small smile. “Okay.” I pulled her in for one last hug and she smiled at me. She smelt of sea spray and it made me feel safe. Gage smelt the same way.

“Uhm, we’ll have to catch up for coffee sometime or something,” I said as she let me go. Margaret nodded.

“I would love that, darling. You set a date and time and I’ll be there. We’ve got so much to talk about,” she grinned, beginning to walk away. “Oh, and you tell that brother of yours to stop sending me money. He thinks I need help with my bills but I can take care of myself.”

I nodded at the woman. “Oh, uhm, yeah sure thing.”

With that, I watched as Gage’s mother lowered herself into her car and pulled away from the curb. But my head was spinning. Why hadn’t Gage told his mom he was back in town? Or gone to see her? Why was my brother sending her money?

I shook my head, trying to clear my thoughts as I walked to my bike, clipping my helmet before driving away. When I arrived back at Gage’s house, I noticed he was home. Bullet ran out of the garage to greet me and I pet him absentmindedly.

Then I walked into the garage and stood there, fuming, until Gage finally noticed me, looking up from whatever he was working on under the hood of his car. I didn’t give him a chance to speak as I opened my mouth.

“You haven’t told your mom that you’re back?” I seethed. Gage quirked his eyebrow at me. He sighed, straightening up and walking from the car to his workbench.

“That’s none of your business, Coraline,” he growled as he put his wrench down and picked up a rag, wiping the grease from his hands.

“The hell it isn’t. She’s your mom. She would want to know that you’re back in the goddamn country!”

Gage glared at me. “We’re not having this conversation.”

I scoffed. “This isn’t a joke, Gage.”

He levelled me with a stern glare. “I’m not joking. When did you see her?”

I sighed. “This morning in town. She came out of the salon and I almost ran into her.”

Gage’s gaze hardened as he walked back to his car. I followed him. There was no way I was letting this go.

“Just stay out of it, Coraline. My relationship with my mother doesn’t concern you.”

I groaned in frustration. “Don’t give me that bullshit, Gage, I won’t fall for it. Besides, she’s your mom, why wouldn’t you tell her you’re back?!”

Gage suddenly turned on me, standing tall over me and trapping me between himself and his car door. He glared down at me, but I held my own, glaring right back. “Just let it go, Coraline!”

“No! She’s your mom! She loves you. You’re going out to her house and you will tell her you’ve been back for a month. If you don’t do it, _I will._ ”

Gage groaned, moving away from me and throwing his wrench so that it clanged against the back wall of the garage. He glared at me.

“What the hell is it to you?” he seethed. He was breathing heavily. I had no idea why he didn’t want to see his mom, but I didn’t care.

“Some of us don’t have a mom anymore, Gage. So, you better make damn sure you’re looking after yours,” I said lowly, glaring at him before I stalked out of the garage and into the house, Bullet at my heels.

I could hear him cursing after I left, a string of rambles falling from his lips. I just wiped my cheek, swiping away the one tear that had escaped my eye at the thought of my own mother.

I missed her so much. She was so beautiful. For the millionth time in nine years, I cursed the two drunk idiots who ran her off the road.

.

That night I was at the clubhouse, lounging in my old room with Luna, Stacey and Roz for company. Lucas was currently holding a club meeting downstairs, so there were a horde of bikes parked out the front of the club house, which I could see from my room.

Every club member available was here, discussing who knows what. Probably the incident with the Diablos the other night at The Gallows. Lucas had gone into a rage when he’d heard how they treated Luna and I, and then had got seriously pissed when he found out Gage and Jax landed themselves in jail for it.

It was pretty late at night, which is why I was surprised Lucas had decided to hold a meeting, but I guess everyone was busy until now. The girls and I had decided that we were going to have a sleepover. Stacey was currently painting Roz’s toenails an ugly green color.

I hadn’t been much fun. My argument with Gage was still steamrolling through my mind, and I knew I needed to apologize. As much as I didn’t like the decision he’d made, he probably had his reasons, and I shouldn’t have pushed my own issues about parents on him.

I sighed heavily, wiping a hand over my face.

“Something bothering you,” Luna asked. She grinned as she joined me on my window seat. She held out a mug of hot coffee and I took it gratefully.

“Nah, it’s nothing,” I said, waving it off. I was going to have a nice night with my girlfriends. I needed to ignore my issues with Gage right now. I’d be out of his hair by the end of the week anyway.

“That person didn’t send you any more creepy messages, did they?” she asked, her voice hushed so that the others wouldn’t hear us. I shook my head.

“No, I haven’t heard anything from them since the day I told you. Although, I did have a flower waiting on my windowsill when I got home.”

Luna raised an eyebrow, her forehead creasing. “What?”

I shrugged. “Single stemmed white rose,” I said, “There was no note attached, and I don’t know how they got up there, or even unlocked my window to be honest.”

Luna frowned. “This isn’t good, Cor. This could be someone dangerous.”

I waved her off. “It only happened that one day. I haven’t heard or seen anything since. It was probably just some dumb kids playing a prank.”

Luna sighed. “Okay. But you’d tell me first if anything else happened, right?”

I smiled, wrapping one arm around her shoulder. “Of course, Looney. You’ll be the first to know.” She smiled warily before falling into my embrace, hugging me tightly. “Besides,” I said. “Gage has Bullet at the house, and that dog hardly leaves my side. I think he loves me more,” I laughed. Luna rolled her eyes but then left me to join the nail painting process.

It wasn’t long before I heard the rumble of engines and watched as member after member got on their bikes and drove out of the compound. Then hours later, after the girls had fallen asleep in a huddle on my bed, I finally moved from my spot by my window.

I tiptoed out of the room, closing the door carefully, before walking down the stairs and into the kitchen. My brain was wide awake on the coffee that Luna had given me earlier, and also because I couldn’t seem to get Gage out of my head.

I pulled the jog of milk from the fridge, as well as the Oreos from the pantry. If I was going to be awake, I was at least going to be fed. As I prepared myself my feast, I noticed someone out on the balcony.

His tall frame was all too familiar, and I crinkled my nose as I watched him take a drag from his cigarette. I huffed, before putting away my treats and making my way out to the balcony.

I needed to set things straight with him.

He didn’t turn when I walked out, so I stood for a moment, trying to decide on how to approach him.

“Here to lecture me again?” he asked, his voice low and grating. I sighed, running a hand through my hair. Gage turned around to catch my eye, and I saw traces of insomnia on his face. His eyes were dropped, and his skin was slightly paler than normal.

“Actually, I came to apologize.”

Gage huffed and it took me a moment to realize that he was laughing. Well… more like chuckling. But it still shocked me all the same. “Never thought I’d see the day,” he said.

I scowled. “Well, if you’re gonna be a dick about it then maybe I won’t bother.”

He flashed me a small smirk as he took another drag, then rolled his eyes when he saw me cringe at his smoking. We stood in silence for a while as I tried to decide how I wanted to do this. Gage just waited patiently, taking hits from his cigarette every now and then.

I finally just decided to bite the bullet. “I’m sorry. She’s your mom and you know her better than I do. I shouldn’t have told you how to handle it.”

I crossed my arms over my chest and kept my gaze on the floor.

“Actually, I don’t,” he said. My eyes flicked up, laying my confused gaze on his. He shrugged, stubbing out his cigarette. “I haven’t really spoken to her since I was maybe seventeen. You probably know her better than I would.”

I sighed, sadness and pity creeping into my heart. I knew his mom had hurt him when she’d divorced his dad, and Gage had hurt her when he chose to live with his dad over her. But I didn’t know how bad it really was.

“I didn’t think she’d want to see me,” he said, mumbling slightly, “So I sent her checks in the mail to make up for not really being there.”

I winced, before hesitating. I wanted to walk up to him and pull him down and hug him. I wanted him to wrap his arms around me like he used to when I was a tiny kid. I wanted him to bury his face in my hair.

I wanted him.

“She told me today that she doesn’t want the money,” I said quietly. “But I could hear it in her voice. She misses you.”

Gage sighed. “I don’t know, Coraline. I don’t think I want to see her after what I did. After I left…”

I finally gave into my instincts and I walked up to him. I stood beside him and placed my hand over his. He looked me square in the eyes, warning me. I ignored him.

“Just trust me, Trigger. She wants to see you.”

I could see the conflict in his eyes, and I didn’t want to push my luck, so I removed my hand and stepped away. I backed up to the door, knowing he needed space. He was back to staring out off the balcony.

I opened up the door and was about to make my way inside. “Oh, uhm,” I turned back to him. He lifted his eyes to meet mine, his mouth set in a hard line. “I found somewhere to live. You’ll have your house to yourself by the end of the week. I, uhm… I’m sorry I stayed so long at your place,” I said sheepishly, running and hand back through my hair awkwardly.

Gage shook his head. “It wasn’t a problem, Coraline.”

I nodded, smiling slightly. “Okay,” I whispered. “Uhm, well thanks for letting me stay, anyhow.”

Gage shrugged and I took that as my cue to leave, shutting the door and making my way back upstairs.

.

**Don’t take your mom for granted :/**


	10. 9

#  **CHAPTER NINE**

**Coraline**

I picked up my beer from the small table beside me. I was lounging outside because it was much too hot to be inside. I was just calmly watching as Gage played a game of fetch with Bullet.

I admired the way his muscles flexed to throw the ball, and the happy almost-smile on his face. This was a man who loved his dog. I couldn’t even imagine what they’d been through together.

He seemed to have a real affinity for his pet.

It was about seven o’clock, and I was just sitting out here, waiting for the sun to set. Before I could react, I felt something wet be placed on my leg. I looked down to see that Bullet had dropped his ball on me, obviously wanting me to play, too.

I smiled at the dog as his head rolled to the side, his tongue hanging out of his mouth. I picked up the ball before looking up at Gage, who was waiting patiently for his dog to return to him. Gage shrugged at me as I quickly threw the ball.

Bullet barked happily, chasing his toy.

I got up out of my seat, carrying my drink as I walked to stand with Gage. This was my last night in the house. I was going to miss the shit out of this dog.

And someone else too.

“Excited to have your house back?” I asked him. Gage flicked his eyes sideways to meet mine. The ghost of a smile danced across his lips. This man had me breathless and he didn’t even realize.

If he knew the power he had over me, I’d be in serious trouble.

He shrugged, pulling a smoke from his pocket and lighting it up. I turned my attention back onto Bullet so that Gage wouldn’t see me cringe.

“You weren’t that bad,” he admitted, blowing a stream of smoke from his lips. I bumped him with my hip playfully. He rolled his eyes at me and threw the ball for Bullet again.

“Are you sure you should be living so far out of town?” he asked. My eyebrows shot up in surprise.

“What do you mean? I can take care of myself?”

Gage shrugged, huffing out a breath. “It’s not safe, Coraline. You’re extremely far away from anyone else.”

I scoffed. “Nothing’s gonna happen to me. I’m fine.” But I couldn’t help the feeling that he knew about the creepy text message. I took a swig from my bottle, using it to clear my head.

Gage sighed, nodding his head. “Fine.”

I rolled my eyes at his antics, but inside I was rejoicing that he was worried for me. When the sun finally started to set, we found our way to back under his pergola. He lit the fire place and I curled up on one of the loungers.

Bullet hopped up with me to cuddle. Gage sat by the fire to keep smoking. I smiled lazily as I could feel the effects of my drinks starting to hit me. I pet Bullet absentmindedly as I watched Gage.

He was always so silent, so stoic. It made me want to unravel every secret he kept hidden behind those beautiful blue eyes. The fire made shadows dance along his beautifully tanned skin, highlighting his ink and making his face look stormy and angelic.

I let out a small sigh. How I wanted to run my hands through his hair and hold his head in my hands as he kissed the curve of my neck.

But I knew that was a long shot.

I found myself wanting to know every single little thing about this man, so I downed the rest of my drink for some extra courage, before opening my mouth. “What is the thing you regret most in this entire world?”

Gage looked up from where his gaze had been focused on the flames. His eyes looked hard and unforgiving, but slightly curious. I watched his lip quirk with the beginning of a smirk. My voice sounded different, higher. I was definitely tipsy, and Gage could see that.

“You first,” he said, his voice low and melodic. I shuddered slightly, pouting that he wasn’t playing my game properly.

I sighed. “My biggest regret… is uhm? Probably trying Kush when I was eighteen.”

Gage quirked his eyebrow at me and I grinned. “Roz and I were hanging out at the clubhouse. We nicked a joint from Lucas’ stash and went and smoked it in the garage. We did some wild shit that night.”

I could see a lightness in Gage’s eyes, a million questions lurking behind them.

“We ended up running to the golf course and stealing one of the little buggies. Then we rode it through town and accidentally crashed it into the public pool. Then we ran off before the cops came, and we went and raided the corner store for candy, then went back to the clubhouse and got high off sugar in my room while tripping absolute balls. I haven’t smoked since.”

Gage’s shoulders shook with silent laughter and I smiled. It was nice to see him let go for a second. “You?” I asked, “I know you must’ve done some idiot crap with my brother.”

“Oh, for sure,” Gage said. “But, I don’t regret any of that.”

“So…? What then?” I asked, trying to push it out of him.

Gage shrugged. “I regret not saying goodbye to my family the day that I left for the military.”

That shut me up. I sighed, not meeting his eyes. “Oh…”

Gage nodded. “I thought it would make it easier. And I didn’t want anyone to tell me that I was doing the wrong thing. I wanted it to be my decision.”

I nodded silently. I could hear the pain in his voice, but I didn’t regret asking him for this information. I wanted to know him, inside and out.

I was falling for this man and I couldn’t help it. I rolled over on my lounger so I could stare up at the stars. “Was it easy?” I asked. Gage frowned at me and I smiled sadly.

“Was it easy to be away from home? I’ve always wondered if I would be a different person if I wasn’t surrounded by bikers, or if I didn’t have an overbearing brother watching over my every move,” I said.

I turned my head to see Gage staring into space.

“No. It wasn’t easy,” he finally said. “But this place was better off without me…”

I frowned at this beautiful man. “What do you mean?” I asked.

Gage glared at me, and I knew I’d pushed him too far. It was like his personality just snapped, and he shut me out as ran a hand through his hair. He got up from his seat and put out the fire before turning to walk inside.

“Just drop it, Coraline,” he mumbled as he stalked past me. Bullet jumped away from my side and followed him. I sighed.

Back to square one.

.

**The Next Morning**

I sighed as I looked around the bedroom that I had occupied for the last couple of weeks. I was moving into my new house, ready to live by myself again. Everything was packed up, with the rest of my stuff in storage, and Bullet was sitting at my heel, his head tilted up for me to pet him.

I was going to miss him a lot, but at least Gage had agreed to let me take him out each morning on my runs.

I walked out of the room, beckoning Bullet with me as I skipped down the stairs. Gage was waiting by the door. I had managed to get him and a few other people to agree to help me move in.

“Ready?” he grunted. I gave him a smile, nodding. Then we locked up the house and he hopped into his truck. He had been kind enough to offer to transport some of my stuff while I rode my bike behind him.

I followed him out to my new place, grinning when I saw the hordes of bikes and people standing outside. Luna and Lucas were here, as well as Jax, Sticks, Reaper, and Linc and some more Prospects.

They all gave me big smiles as I hopped off my bike.

“Alright, men! There is furniture in the back of the moving truck, and a shit ton of boxes in Trigger’s truck. Everything is labelled for what room it needs to be in, so let’s get this shit done,” I grinned directing them towards each vehicle before turning and unlocking the front door.

It was midday already because we had had some trouble recruiting helpers earlier in the morning; each of the men were either buried deep in pussy, or sleeping off a hangover. The humidity was already rising, and the temperature was up there.

I could hear complaints coming from some of the prospects as they tried to pick up shit. I moved myself inside, joined by Luna, and we directed the men with where to place things.

“The television will go on top of the entertainment unit in this room here, against that back wall,” I said to Sticks, he grinned at me as he and a prospect shouldered the furniture into place.

Jax and Reaper followed them, carrying two of my favorite armchairs, then backed up by Lucas and Gage who each held an end of one of the parts of my giant L-shaped sofa. I grinned appreciatively at the strained muscles in Gage’s bicep. I smirked at the way his arm rippled, making the waves in his ink look like they were actually rolling.

He caught my eye as I couldn’t stop staring and glared at me before rolling his eyes. I just grinned, shrugging as my face heated with embarrassment. If he was gonna put his body on display, I was hands down going to look at it.

Every.

Single.

Damn.

Time.

I skipped myself out of the room, heading for my bedroom. Two prospects were carrying my mattress in, followed then by Gage, Linc, and Jax who had my frame.

“Where do you want it?” Jax asked. My eyes slid over Gage as I hesitated.

“Uhm, right here under the window. You can line it up so that it’s centered.”

The men nodded before placing the frame carefully down on my grey carpet. Then the boys threw down my new mattress, followed by an assortment of pillows and linen. Then Luna came in and shooed as out; she wanted to make the bed up for herself.

“Oh, wait. Gage before you go, can you help me hang these curtains?” she asked as we all began piling out. I watched Gage turn and nod at Luna, before helping her pick up the flowy white curtains that I’d chosen.

I smiled, but then quickly left the room.

I walked into my kitchen to find a few prospects putting away pots, pans, and bunch of utensils. Jax walked in with Sticks in tow, both of them carrying multiple brown bags of groceries. They unloaded them into my butler’s pantry and built in refrigerator.

I walked through the rest of the rooms in the house. There honestly wasn’t much stuff that they’d had to bring with them because the house was sporting many built ins; and as the place was basically one huge apartment, there were only a couple of rooms.

Everything in the bedroom was finished, as I could see when Gage and Luna trailed out. The living room was finished, only having needed my television, entertainment unit, and seating set up on top of the white shag rug.

There wasn’t a dining room, instead the open plan allowed for the kitchen to open into the living room. There were plenty of seats at the breakfast bar.

I was about to thank everyone for coming when Luna came from the kitchen, carrying a carton of beer. I smiled at her before jumping up on the counter.

“Hey, assholes! Listen up!” I yelled. I was met with a dozen eyes on me. I could feel Gage’s in particular burning into the back of my head.

“I wanted to thank everyone for helping me move all my crap, so please, take a drink,” I smiled. The room filled with cheers as the men surged forward to take their free beers. Then everyone moved out to my backyard to drink.

Some of the prospects stripped their shirts and jumped into my new pool. Lucas was quick to follow them, splashing Luna who just laughed and flipped him off.

Someone started playing music on my outdoor stereo and the little gathering began. Gage had been worried about me living so far out of town, but I thought it was a good thing. At least here, there were no neighbors to make noise complaints.

I stood on the edge of the group, happily sipping away at my drink before I felt someone come up behind me.

“The house looks great,” he said lowly. I could feel goosebumps raising on my neck from where his breath landed, and I turned around.

He was standing impossibly close to me and I gave him a small smile as I looked up at him through my lashes. His eyes were as hard as his body was tensed.

“Thankyou. And uhm, I know I’ve said it a few times already, but I really am grateful that you let me stay with you for so long.” My voice was low and breathy. The minute distance between us was making my words catch in my throat.

Gage had never stood this close to me before.

“Had to do right by my President, you know?”

I nodded, eyeing him. Would he feel weird if I gave him a hug? And in front of all these people? I reached my hand up, cupping his cheek slightly. He leant his head into my hand lightly, the hint of a smile tracing his lip line.

I sighed inwardly, dropping my hand before stepping slightly away from him. Did I see a flicker of sadness in his eyes? Desire? Whatever it was, it was only fleeting.

I reached out beside me to grab a beer from on ice in the cooler. I snapped the cap off with my forearm – my party trick – before handing him the drink. He took it and we clinked bottles.

“To new beginnings?” I asked, hopefully. Gage nodded, his eyes staying locked on mine as we both took a drink.

We stayed like that for a while, just standing near each other in comfortable silence. We didn’t need to say anything, because I knew Gage wasn’t much of a talker. But I was happy in that moment.

Until I felt the floor disappear.

“C’mon, Siren, time to christen this pool, huh?”

I screamed. “Jacob Jackson, I swear to god if you do not put me down this instant I will castrate you!”

“You wanna be put down?” Jax asked innocently. “Okay, Cor. You asked for it.” And with that, the asshole dropped me. I had the good sense to hold my breath as I was cocooned by water. Bubbles surfaced beside me as I came up for air, spluttering.

“You’re dead, asshole!” I screeched. Jax just grinned at me. I caught Gage’s eye after I glared at Jax. Gage was smirking slightly, his shoulders shaking with laughter.

“You’ll have to catch me first, princess.”

I groaned with outrage before hauling myself out of the pool and running after my VP.

.

**Getting the heavy lifting done.**


	11. 10

#  **CHAPTER TEN**

**Coraline**

I cringed as I walked into Flower Petal with Roz on my arm. It was where she worked as an exotic dancer. Roz had stayed the night in my new house as my first guest. I’d been there for a week but last night was the first that she wasn’t working.

I frowned at the thought. I didn’t have anything against her job, and it wasn’t an unclean place to work, but I had never appreciated the strong smell.

It was a normal enough building from the outside, it just looked like your regular nightclub. The only difference was that it was sporting a neon sign of a girl on a pole kicking her leg into the air, right on the arch of the doorway entry.

It was such a cheap add on that it always made me laugh.

The in-house manager, Manny, was a nice enough guy, and always protected the girls so I appreciated him for that. In saying that, I never thought of the Flower Petal as a legitimate business. I had always seen it as a hotbed for old fat men to get their young woman fix.

But, seeing as it was owned by my brother and I, it did bring in a lot of money for the club. I had personally never touched any of that money because to me, it felt dirty. Roz squeezed my hand and I turned to her with a smile.

We walked into the back and into the dressing room she shared with the other girls. There was some sensual pop music playing out on the catwalk and I had seen two girls up on the poles already, despite it being ten in the morning.

Having scanned the room when we arrived, I had only seen two men inside already, but I knew that Roz had had to start now because they usually had an influx at midday when everyone was on their lunch break.

“I know you hate it,” Roz sighed, “But could you at least act like you’re okay with it? Just like, stop cringing for a sec and help me tie this up.”

I turned to face her, my eyes widening when I noticed her attire. When had she changed into that?

She was wearing a red and black striped corset that covered her breasts, with matching panties attached to garter hooks and high socks.

“How do you dance in that?” I asked curiously. I had always wondered, especially because it looked like she currently couldn’t breathe.

Roz grinned at me. “I’m not dancing today. I told Manny yesterday that some guy from outta town was getting way too handsy when I gave him a lapdance, so he put me behind bar for today.”

I nodded, silently relieved that she wasn’t going to be up on stage.

“How tight do you want it?” I asked as I took the strings from her outstretched hands.

“Well, I’ll need good tips seeing as I’m not getting half nude, so just pull until I say stop. Gotta make sure my tits are in your face.”

I rolled my eyes. This seemed so unethical to me, but who was I to judge, really. I pulled on the straps, criss-crossing them until they looked weave, were tight, and weren’t mismatched enough that the whole thing might fall down at any moment.

Roz didn’t need the pressure of that kind of mishap.

She breathed out as I pulled them tight again. “So, how’s it going with you and Mr. Hottie Pants?” Roz asked. I smirked, knowing that she couldn’t see my face and rolled my eyes.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said innocently. Roz scoffed in front of me.

“Oh c’mon? You can’t tell me that I was the first person in your new bed?”

I laughed. “You sure were, baby. Gage doesn’t like me like that.”

I could feel Roz rolling her eyes. “Sure, whatever you say then, Cory.”

I sighed quietly, letting go of her straps now that I was finished. Then she turned around and pinched my chin between her thumb and forefinger. “Aww, babe. It’s alright. He’ll come around, he’s not stupid.”

It was my turn to scoff, turning it into a laugh. “I’m working on it,” I grinned. Roz just shrugged at me before putting on a pair of black stilettos.

“How do I look?”

I smiled at her. “Like you deserve a good spank,” I said lowly, my voice hungry. Roz rolled her eyes at me before leaning down and pressing a sweet kiss to my lips.

“I’ll call you after my shift, baby girl. Go and spend the day with your man.”

I rolled my eyes, shaking my head with laughter as I watched her strut out of the dressing room. I followed soon after, waving at both her and Manny behind the bar. Then I hopped onto my bike and made my way to the compound.

I had nothing to do until my late shift tonight, and my house was so far away that no one was out there, so I wanted to be around people for a while. Even if that meant surrounding myself with the MC boys.

I shoved open the front door when I got there, only to hear a bunch of cheers coming from the den. I frowned, was this something that I didn’t want to walk in on?

Against my better judgement, I made my way to the den, but was happily surprised when I found that a bunch of them were just playing a game of Poker. Luna was sat beside Lucas, and by the looks of her giant pile of chips, she was winning.

Luna was the best player I’d ever seen.

Lucas was running out of coin, his chip stash running entirely too low, and Jax was opposite them with almost the same amount as Luna. The rest of the men around the table were all in states of losing.

I smiled, waving at the group. Luna beamed at me, a wicked look in her eye. I grinned.

“Hey, Cora,” Lucas greeted me. I smirked at my brother and his pitiful pile of chips.

“Losing again, I see,” I jeered. Lucas glared between myself and his own cards.

“Trigger is out in the yard with his dog and Sentinel. Can you bring him inside, I’ve got a job for him.” Sentinel was an eight-year-old bulldog that belonged to one of the club members. No one really knew who, because he sort of had a permanent bed here, so he’d just become the unofficial mascot.

I scoffed. “I’m no messenger girl,” I laughed. Lucas just sighed.

“Well then, can you take my place and I’ll go get him?”

I laughed. “Ohhhh. So you just want me to take your spot because you know that’s the only way you’ll win?” I challenged. Lucas growled at me and I grinned.

“Fine, I’ll go get him for you.”

I walked out of the den and into the kitchen. I needed a snack before Gage was sure to yell at me. I pulled open the fridge, searching for a green apple. When I finally located my sweet treat, I pulled the door shut.

And was almost scared out of my skin when I noticed someone standing there.

“What are you doing here?” Gage asked, leaning against the refrigerator door. I shook off my initial fright and smirked at him, shrugging my shoulders. He looked delicious.

His hair was all curly and shiny like it had just been washed, and his black t-shirt was hugging his torso like it was wet. The color bounced off his caramel tanned complexion like a sweet treat that I was living for.

I smiled up at the man, my eyes searching his. He was trying not to stare right down my top. I was wearing a simple peach band crop top with some high waisted jeans. “Hey. I came from dropping off Roz at work. I was uhm… I was actually about to come and get you. Lucas wanted to see you.”

Gage shrugged, nodding.

“Den?” he asked.

I nodded and watched as he turned on his heel and stalked out. I watched his ass as he walked, noticing how firm it looked in his jeans. He was too good looking for his own good.

.

I had started my shift at the bar. Countless men were asking for my number and in general, trying to get into my pants. To my surprise, Gage had sat himself down in front of me about an hour ago, and had successfully stopped the flow of men hitting on me.

He was drinking some novelty beer and refusing to meet my eyes. He had said a total of five words to me the entire time he’d been sitting there. Those words consisted of, “A schooner of Heineken please.”

When he wanted a refill, he just raised his eyebrow at me and handed me his glass. It wasn’t an uncomfortable silence, though. It was pretty normal for us now. I pretty much expected this.

There was something that had been niggling at me for at least a week now.

“Did you talk to your mom?” I asked as I adjusted all the nozzles on the liquors in front of me. Gage raised his eyebrow at my question, his jaw tensing.

He finally nodded. “Two days ago.”

“And…?” I pressed. Gage furrowed his eyebrows, sighing. He should have known by now that I wasn’t going to let this go.

Gage didn’t answer for a while. But when he did, I was all ears. “She cussed me out and hit me with her purse for not telling her I was back. Then we just sat down and had a smoke,” he admitted.

I smiled. I was about to compliment him when my eyes were suddenly drawn to the two prospects who had burst through the front doors of the bar. They were spluttering and gasping for breath, clearly having run from somewhere.

“What the hell is going on here,’ Jax asked, his voice low and menacing. I didn’t catch much of what was said next, just a few key words.

“Flower Petal… Kidnapped… Four girls… Roz… Guys with machetes and AK’s.”

I don’t quite remember the details of what happened next, I just know that Luna caught me as I fell and dragged me away from the smashed whiskey bottle shards that had fallen from my fingertips.

My hands felt numb and my mind was blank as silent tears rolled down my cheeks.

_Roz? My best friend? Kidnapped?_

I tried to pull myself from my spiral, but my eyes were swimming with tears and my brain was foggy. I vaguely felt Luna’s hands become replaced with a pair much larger, more calloused. My legs were picked up I was suddenly being carried out of the bar.

I recognized the sweet cologne and tried to press myself closer.

Then the cold, night air hit my face as I realized I was outside, and no longer in anyone’s arms, but was propped up on the wall of the bar. I blinked groggily as I tried to make my eyes focus.

Whoever was pacing in front of me wasn’t helping. I rubbed a hand over my face to clear my head.

“Gage?” I asked, my voice unsure. The man in front of me stopped pacing and came forward, kneeling in front of me so that we were face to face.

“I’m taking you home, right now,” he said, reaching out to help me up. I nodded silently, letting him pull me up and walk me towards the passenger door of his car.

When I was seated inside, I watched him walk around to the drivers side door, running a hand through his hair with a frown.

He was silent as he hauled himself into the bed of the truck and started the engine. As he swerved backwards out of his spot, I winced, holding my head slightly. He sent me a fleeting, war look but otherwise focused his eyes back on the road.

I gasped. “Wait! What about my bike?”

Gage shook his head. “I’ll send for a prospect to pick it up,” he said, offhandedly. I cringed but nodded. We rode in silence for the twenty minutes that it took to get to my house. When he shut off the engine, neither of us moved.

We sat in silence, me just staring at the front door of my house.

I didn’t particularly want to be alone right now.

“What happened?” I asked, my voice sounding quiet. I was embarrassed that I’d made such a scene.

Gage sighed. “Prospects burst into the bar shouting about how four girls were kidnapped from the Flower Petal. One of them was your friend, Rosalind. They came in with AK’s and machetes; threatened some guy named Manny before knocking out two of the girls with their guns. Then they tied up the other two with ropes, chucked them in the back of an unregistered black van and took off. The prospects came straight to the bar.”

My mouth hung open. Those bastards had taken my best friend like she was worthless. Why did they even want her? What the hell kind of business was she mixed up in?

Gage turned to face me, finally looking straight into my eyes. “Are you okay?” he asked lowly. I kept my eyes trained on his, shaking my head.

“No,” I admitted. This wasn’t me. I wasn’t weak nor did I faint, ever. But something about hearing Roz had been taken by these men, it ripped my heart in two.

“What happened after?” I asked, “With me, I mean?”

Gage frowned, his jaw ticking. “You went white. Then you dropped a bottle of whiskey and almost fell over. The bottle smashed at your feet, and I think it cut some of your leg,” he said. I looked down at my legs, noticing a small line of blood on the inside of my left ankle.

“Oh.”

Gage nodded. “Then Luna caught you and you kind of passed out. I brought you outside and sat you on the wall. You’re caught up from there.”

I frowned at him. “Why did _you_ help me?” I was genuinely curious. For someone who seemed to hate me, he sure as hell seemed quick to jump into action.

Gage looked away from me, shrugging slightly. “We were in the middle of a conversation, remember?” he asked. “I guess I was just the closest to you.”

I couldn’t argue with his logic, before my eyes widened. “Does Lou know you took me home?”

Gage rolled his eyes, but nodded. “He asked me to. Apparently doesn’t trust anyone else.”

I shook my head slightly. My brother was an idiot. Then without another word, I got out of the car, reveling in the feeling of my feet landing on crunching gravel. I could hear Gage sighing before getting out himself, slamming the car door shut.

“Need help?” he asked, walking around to meet me. I glared at him.

“I can walk. I’m not an invalid.” But I was kidding even myself. As I was stood there, I was swaying to the side slightly.

 _It’s okay_ , I told myself, _just be confident and it will work out for you._

That plan went out the window when I tried to take a step forward. I almost fell flat on my face when I realized that my jelly legs bent like wet noodles. Gage, damn him, managed to catch me, hoisting me up while giving me a hefty helping of side eye.

I rolled my eyes at him but accepted his hand as he helped me hobble to my front door. I took my keys out of my bra and unlocked it. Gage held a hand up for me to wait, before letting me go and slipping inside without me.

I rolled my eyes at him as I watched him move throughout my house, checking for signs of entry or for an intruder or I don’t even know what else.

Lucas had probably asked him to do it. My stupid overprotective brother, the idiot.

But maybe he was right. There was a pricking feeling in the back of my mind that was making me question whether my random creepy text, and Roz’s kidnapping might be connected. So, I let Gage do his searching.

He finally came back to the front door, helping me inside after flicking on a few light switches. I winced as he helped me into my bedroom before I practically fell on my bed.

“Thankyou,” I mumbled into the comforter. Gage just nodded, his eyes never leaving my face as he stood by my bed. He looked around the room silently, before bringing his eyes back to mine.

“You need to clean up your leg,” he said, before walking into my bathroom, clearly ignoring any answer I might’ve given him. I sighed before leaning my head back into my pillow.

“Coraline?” Gage called. I sat up, looking at the open bathroom door. With a sigh I hauled my ass off my bed and made my way over. When I finally made it inside, Gage was standing back with his eyes on the mirror.

“Want to explain?” he asked, his glare saturating my entire body and seeping into the tips of my toes.

My eyes flipped back to the mirror, or more specifically, what was written on the mirror in my favorite red lipstick.

**You’re next, sweetness.**

My gaze flipped up to meet Gage’s, my mouth hung open in silent shock.

I was speechless, and needless to say, creeped out of my mind. And before I knew it, my eyes were closing of their own accord for the second time that night.

And I was falling…

Falling…

Falling…

.

**Dun dun dunnnnn.**


	12. 11

**CHAPTER ELEVEN**

**Coraline**

I groaned, my voice weak as my eyes squinted open. My muscles felt contracted and stiff, like I’d been forced to sleep in the same position all night. I moved my head, looking at my surroundings and finally noticing that I wasn’t at my house.

I was on a couch in the middle of a living room. I could feel a huge weight on my lower half and looked down to see Bullet curled over my legs.

I smiled down at the dog, lifting my hand to pet his head. Then I sat up, trying not to move him. I looked around the room, noticing that the television was turned on, playing the morning weather report.

I looked around for the remote to turn it off, realizing it was sat on the arm of Gage’s armchair, and the man in question was half asleep. He noticed I was awake and quickly got out of the chair, rushing over to me.

He pressed the back of his hand to my forehead as I frowned. There was a crease between his brows as he refused to meet my eyes.

_What was I doing here? Why wasn’t I at home?_

“How’re you feeling?” he asked, his voice low and gravelly. I had come to know that that was his morning voice, husky with misuse.

I frowned. “I’m fine,” I said, “What the hell am I doing here?”

Gage sighed, eyeing me carefully. “You don’t remember?”

I raised my eyebrow at him, questioning him silently. He sighed when he realized I had no clue what he was talking about.

I watched Gage run a hand through his hair before scratching the back of his neck. It was like he knew exactly what to do to turn me on, I swear.

“I brought you home last night after you fainted in your bathroom. I didn’t think your house was safe.”

My eyes widened as flashes of last night filled my head. The smashed whiskey bottle after the prospects burst into the bar. Luna catching me. Gage taking me home. Those words on my mirror.

My head fell into my hands and I let out a long breath.

_Roz. Where was Roz? I had to find her._

I moved to get up, but Gage pressed a hand into my shoulder. “You’re not going anywhere ‘til you tell me what’s going on.” His voice was hard, and I glared at him. I must’ve spoken aloud.

“What?”

Gage glared at me. “Why the hell was the message on your mirror, Coraline? Who are you mixed up with?”

I scoffed at him, my eyes showing him how betrayed I felt by his accusations.

“I don’t know who it was from, and frankly, I’m offended that you think I had anything to do with it.”

Gage narrowed his eyes at me. “So that was the first message you’ve received?” He said.

I shrugged, looking away from him as my fingers fidgeted in Bullet’s fur. “That’s not what I said,” I admitted, my voice small. I hated how weak and dependent it sounded.

Gage all but growled. “For god’s sake, Coraline. Tell me what the hell is going on so that I can help you.”

I hesitated. I wasn’t ready to tell him about the text message, or the flower. Because I wasn’t ready for Talon to know. If my brother knew, he and Gage would go and do something stupid to protect me, and probably get themselves hurt.

Or they’d make the situation worse, and risk those guys hurting Roz and the other girls.

“Coraline,” Gage pressed.

I sighed. “Fine, no it wasn’t the first message,” I admitted, my eyes looking everywhere except at Gage. I could practically feel the anger rolling off him. We were silent for a few minutes, him just waiting for me to clarify, and me trying to drown in my own pool of awkwardness.

Eventually, I gave in and handed him my phone, letting him scroll through my messages. When he was finished, he glared at me and I felt like a child who’d been caught with their hand in the cookie jar.

“Why didn’t you tell me you had some creep tailing you,” he growled, his voice seething with anger. I scoffed, shrugging.

“Yeah, because you’re always so willing to talk to me,” I scowled, “Besides, I just thought it was a wrong number text until…” I trailed off. He didn’t need to know the rest, did he?

“Until what, Coraline?”

I sighed. “Until I found a rose on my windowsill when I was living here,” I mumbled.

I looked up, only to see Gage trying to burn holes into my skull with his eyes. He looked livid, his eyes had deepened to a stormy indigo, the color swimming and thrashing like a raging sea.

“That creep came here?” he said, his voice was dangerously low, threatening. I cringed away from it. “Who else knows about this?”

I shrugged. “Just Luna,” I said. Gage glared at me.

“Why did you tell her and not me? Don’t you think I deserve to know if the person living under my roof is being threatened and followed?”

“You’ve not exactly given me any indication that you would’ve cared,” I snapped back, my voice harsh. Gage’s eyes hardened and he threw my phone down onto my lap before storming out of the room.

I glared at his back as he walked away from me. Bullet was quick to jump from my leap and head after his master. I scowled and did what I do best. I grabbed my jacket from where it lay on the table beside the front door, picking up my keys and slamming my feet into my boots.

I pulled open the front door, slamming it behind me before looking around the driveway. My bike was sitting next to Gage’s truck; he must’ve had one of the prospects bring it here after last night’s ordeal.

I scowled as I whipped my leg over the side, gunning the engine. From the corner of my eye I saw Gage emerge from the front door. I didn’t give him the chance to yell at me, though. I just flipped him my middle finger and sped out of the driveway.

I could feel tears pricking at the corners of my eyes and I tried to blink them away underneath the visor of my helmet. I wasn’t even really paying attention to where I was going.

I ignored the speed warning signs and pressed forward, making my way towards one of the lesser used main roads into town. I didn’t know where I was to end up, but I knew I wanted to get out of this town for now. I needed to get away from this place to clear my head.

As I rounded my last corner I realized I was going too fast. A giant black van came out of nowhere and I swerved the handles of my bike, trying to get out of its way. But I turned too hard and my bike fell hard on it’s side, scraping along the road with me still attached to it.

One hit of my head on the asphalt was enough to give me a concussion, the second was enough to knock me out. Then all I saw was black.

.

My head was throbbing. I could hear small beeps ringing in my ears, but when I tried to open my eyes, I was blinded by a wall of bright white light. I could feel a hand on my upper arm, pushing me down into the uncomfortable bed that I was lying in.

Everything smelt so sterile.

I knew where I was before I could even stop my eyes from swimming. I knew that smell all too well. When I finally opened my eyes, they landed on the tall blonde woman by my side.

I smiled at Luna, feeling the effects of whatever drug they put in my veins starting to wear off. I looked around the room groggily, my gaze falling on the two tall men in the corner of the room.

One brown skinned and stocky, his fists balled and his face tense. I could see the vein in his neck popping out. The other, taller, darker haired one was silent, his face terse and his jaw clenched. His stormy eyes were set on me, unmoving.

I watched as Lucas kept speaking, his hands waving animatedly. Gage paid him no mind, instead concentrated on me. I looked down to see myself wearing a hospital gown, my lower half covered with a warm white blanket. I could feel a drip in my arm, but I refused to look at it.

Sue me, I’ve never liked needles.

Luna seemed to notice I was awake, her hand coming up to my face and cupping my chin. There was a worried look in her eye.

“Oh! Lou, she’s awake. Cory, babe, how’re you feeling?” Luna coddled me.

I nodded at her as I saw Lucas from the corner of my eye, turn away from Gage and rush over to my bed. Gage stayed where he was in the corner, his eyes never leaving my face. I could only imagine how it looked if my head was throbbing this bad.

“What the hell were you thinking?” Lucas demanded. I cringed away from his voice as Luna gasped.

“Hey! Cut that out, she’s been through a lot,” Luna scolded, slapping Lucas’ arm. He gave her a side eye glance before turning his gaze back to glare at me. I glared right back at him. He wasn’t the boss of me.

Before I could retort something back to him, a nurse walked in. “Hi everybody, I see our star patient is awake.” Her voice was sickly sweet and it made my head throb even more.

I gave her a grim look as she came to my side, checking my drip among other things. “Alright, everybody. I want everyone out for just a few minutes so that I can speak with my patient and sort out a few things,” the nurse smiled, her voice sweet but stern.

“Shouldn’t a family member stay?” Lucas asked, his eyes hard. I whipped my head to glare at him.

“Out,” I said firmly, my voice rasping and making my head spin. I looked over to Luna, who nodded sadly at me before pulling her disgruntled fiancé from the room. Gage gave me a hard look before following behind them and shutting the door with a swift click.

The nurse turned back to me. “You took quite a nasty fall, Ms. Knight. You’re quite lucky that Mr. Emerson was there to bring you to the hospital.”

I frowned at the nurse. “Gage brought me in?”

She smiled at me. “Oh yes. Told us the whole story. Speeding on your motorcycle before crashing into a black van and skidding across the road. You’d probably be dead if he hadn’t have brought you here.”

I frowned. “What’s the diagnosis?” I asked. The nurse just chuckled at me.

“You took a nasty blow to the head. You needed six stitches and suffered a concussion and a few scrapes and bruises. It could’ve been much worse, though. From the amount of blood, the doctor thought you might’ve fractured your spine and feared you’d be paralyzed. But I guess you’re one of the lucky ones. Lucky that your friend was there to help you.”

I nodded at her, not really listening anymore. _Gage had brought me in? He must’ve had to have followed me as soon as I left._

I sighed and the nurse seemed to notice how out of it I was. “I can tell your family that you need more rest…” she trailed off, locking eyes with me as she fixed more morphine into my drip.

I shook my head. “It’s fine. I need to talk to them anyway.”

The nurse nodded and pressed a small machine into my hand. “Alright then, if you’re sure. Just press this button if you need me. Now, that shot of morphine should take about fifteen minutes to set in, and when it does, you’ll be out for the count to help with the pain. Your family can talk to you until then, so I hope you say everything you need to say.”

I nodded at her and she smiled before leaving the room.

I had two seconds of silence before Lucas burst back into the room. He was alone this time. “What the fuck were you thinking, Coraline?! You were fucking lucky that you were wearing your jacket or I swear to god you’d look a whole lot worse, considering the shit that you normally wear.”

I glared at my brother, but didn’t interrupt. I knew he needed to get everything off his chest.

“When are you going to stop acting like a child and finally get some sense into your head? You’re fucking lucky that Trigger was there to bring you to the bloody hospital. When are you going to realize that you’re not fucking invincible, Coraline, and do you know how bad this makes me look?”

I rolled my eyes, looking away from him as he kept ranting.

“What the hell were you even doing riding that way. You know better than that. You need to grow up.”

At those words, I snapped. “ _I need to grow up?_ ” I seethed, “Quit acting like you’re in charge of me, Lucas. You are not my father, and you have no right to tell me what the fuck I can and can’t do.”

“The hell I don’t, Coraline. I am your President!”

I scowled at my brother. “I think the fuck not, Lucas. You’re not the boss of me, asshole.”

“You want to wear the cut, Coraline, then that means you answer to your President. So, tell me, little sister, what the fuck were you doing riding like that? Were you trying to get yourself killed?”

“Look, _Pres_ , I might wear the cut, but that does not mean that you can count me in as one of your mutts who will kiss your ass whenever you walk into a room. I wear that patch because my mother wore it, and my father wore it. I wear that damn cut because that club is my fucking family. You know damn well that Dad left the club to the both of us, and that I conceded the Presidency because you were older and wanted it more. But that does _not_ give you the right to boss me around.”

Lucas was pacing the room, his hair looked disheveled and his eyes were red rimmed. “When the hell are you going to grow up, Cora. Get a clue. When you do this shit, you’re hurting more people than just yourself.”

I scoffed. “Oh yeah? Like who? Nobody even looks at me twice these days. They’re all too fuckin’ scared that my big bad brother with put them six feet under if they even come within two feet of me.”

“And for good reason, Coraline. You’re still too young to be fucking involved with anyone. No man in this damn club – no this damn bloody town – is anywhere near good enough for you.”

“You’re such a fucking hypocrite, Lucas. You were my age when you met Luna. Who the hell are you to decide who I date anyway? Stay out of my business; I am not one of your club whores. I do what I want, when I want, and you can’t do a thing to stop it.”

“Clearly,” Lucas growled. “You’re so fucking out of control that you do shit like this. You wound up in a fucking hospital bed because you’re so damn reckless and you’re going to get yourself killed. And don’t think for a damn second that I don’t know you came from Trigger’s place.”

I groaned in frustration. “What the hell does that have to do with anything? Gage brought me home last night after shit went down at the bar.” But Lucas wasn’t listening to me. He was blinded by anger goggles, and anything I said was going in one ear and out the other.

“I know that you came from his place when you crashed. I swear to god, if you’re messing around with him then there will be hell to pay.”

That comment made me see red. “Hell to pay?” I whispered, my voice like death, “Fuck off, Lucas. Where do you get off being so high and fucking mighty? Get the fuck out of my room and don’t come back until you realize how much of a dick you sound right now.”

“Don’t you dare take that tone with me, young lady!”

I threw a pillow at him, to which he narrowly ducked. “I’m your sister, not your fucking daughter, you prick. Get the fuck out before I call hospital security.”

Lucas just glared at me before pointing a finger at me angrily. “Stay away from my best friend. He doesn’t need you fucking with his head.”

“Get the fuck out,” I seethed. Then I watched as Lucas grabbed the door handle with so much strength that I was afraid he might rip it off. Then he slammed it behind him.

Once he’d left, I looked down at my hands, at the bandages over my cuts and my bruises. Then I felt the tears began to stream down my face.

I hated fighting with my brother. He was the only family I had left, and when we fought like this, I always felt like I was going to lose him.

But some of the things he said stuck out in my mind. He didn’t know why I’d been at Gage’s house, which meant that Gage hadn’t told him about the text and the flower and the mirror.

It meant that Gage was keeping my secret. _For now._

I moved to wipe my cheeks when I heard the door open again, and I laid eyes on the tall frame of a man too beautiful for his own good. I sighed, glaring at my blanket covered toes.

“Are you here to yell at me, too? Or tell me to stop being a child? Because I got enough of that from my shit-head brother, and if that’s all you’re here for then you can go ahead and get out,” I sniffed.

Gage didn’t say anything, just walked to the foot of my bed and stood there. After a few minutes of him standing in silence, and me sniffing away me tears, I finally looked up to meet his hard stare.

He ran a hand through his hair and I watched as his jaw clicked. “What the hell were you thinking, Coraline?”

I glared at the man. I could feel my eyes starting to droop from the exertion of my argument with Lucas, and the effects of the morphine beginning to kick in. “What was I thinking? Are you fucking kidding me, Gage?”

The man glared at me, before moving from his post at me feet. He stalked up to my side and I pressed myself further into the blankets.

“What the hell else am I supposed to say, Coraline?” He sighed. I could feel tears streaming down my cheeks. “Why were you riding so recklessly?”

I sighed, contemplating whether to answer him truthfully. “If you don’t know how I feel about you by now, Gage, then you’re even more stupid than I thought.”

Gage glared at me. “Do you know how hard it is for me to see you like this?” he asked me, his voice low.

I shrugged. “And what’s that supposed to mean, huh?” I could feel myself slipping. “Don’t act like you care now, Trigger, just because I landed myself in this place. You sure didn’t want to hear any of it before.”

I watched Gage wince as I used his nickname. I still didn’t understand his complex with it. When he didn’t say anything, I took my shot. I could feel the drugs starting to seep into my bloodstream anyway.

“Just leave, alright? You’ve made it clear how you feel about me. I don’t need you glaring at me like you’re my dad. I get enough of that from your damn President.”

Gage didn’t say anything. He just held my gaze for a moment before stalking to the door. 

I winced when I looked away from him, trying to turn onto my side. My hips ached, having taken the brunt of my fall in my crash. I could feel involuntary tears making tracks down my face. Some of them fell on my lips and I could taste their salt.

From behind me I heard him speak once more. “I can’t watch another person I care about, get hurt, Coraline. Get it through your head.”

Then I heard the door click shut softly and I sobbed, clutching at my blanket as I closed my eyes. My mind started swimming with Gage’s words as I felt myself going under.

_Do you know how hard it is for me to see you like this?_

_I can’t watch another person I care about, get hurt._

_What else am I supposed to say?_

As I felt the morphine begin to force me into sleep, my mind was whirling with Gage’s unspoken confession. And I was left with a feeling I couldn’t quite describe.

.

**Welcome to Part 2. Emotional deep dive with me.**


	13. 12

**CHAPTER TWELVE**

**Coraline**

I sighed as I looked at my face in the bathroom mirror. I was still stuck in the hospital with the left side of my body completely black and blue with bruises. They were intermittently broken up by scrapes and small cuts where the gravel had managed to pierce my skin on impact.

My lip was busted and there was a bruise on my temple from where my head had hit the ground from inside my helmet. The inside of my left leg was also bruised around my knee from having had my bike fall onto it.

I was not a pretty picture.

I was still stuck in one of those god-awful hospital gowns, the ones with the open backs that make you self-conscious every time you lean forward.

The ones that crinkle loudly whenever you try to roll over.

I had been stuck in the hospital for a week, having been subjected to many rounds of testing for potential brain bleeds after my concussion; as well as many trauma counselling sessions because all of the staff were under the impression that I was a fragile little girl who couldn’t handle a car crash.

If you could even really call it that.

I had no doubt that either Gage or Lucas had set up said counselling sessions. Probably to deter me from riding again. They were idiots if they thought that a hiccup as small as this would stop me from getting back in my worn leather seat.

That was the other thing, though. I didn’t know why they bothered making these appointments in the first place, seeing as it would be at least a week until I could ride again anyway.

My bike had taken the brunt of the damage in my crash, and I was told that it was currently holed up at Jax’s workshop, and that he and Linc were working overtime just to fix it for me.

Don’t get me wrong, I was extremely grateful, I just wished it didn’t have to be fixed in the first place. I sighed, puling the gown back over my shoulder, covering up the purple splash on my skin.

I winced when I moved to walk out of the bathroom. Everything still felt so stiff, like I had become a grandmother with arthritis. I hobbled my way back to my bed, glad that for this morning I was alone in my room.

I had had countless visitors in the week that I’d been there. Luna came to hang out with me almost every day, and sometimes she brought Linc. Jax had come a few times to eat dinner with me and watch a few movies.

There wasn’t much to do when you were basically chained to a hospital bed.

Gage had not made an appearance since the day I’d been admitted and we’d had our argument. I could feel the way I missed him in the ache in my chest. Sometimes I found myself waking up in the early hours of the morning.

Every time it was because I had a confusing dream that centered his face. The words he’d said to me just kept swirling around inside my brain, like they were haunting me. Sometimes when I woke up, I could feel eyes on me. I didn’t know where they came from, but I couldn’t shake the feeling I was being watched.

Lucas hadn’t visited either, but I didn’t expect him to. We went for weeks without speaking after one of our rows. And this one was particularly heavy, so I didn’t expect to see him for a while.

The days I was alone, though, my thoughts ran wild. And I couldn’t shake the tumor of guilt that sat in my chest. I was stuck in hospital because of the rash decisions I’d made, and so I couldn’t help with the search for my best friend.

Roz and the other girls were still missing, and no one had any new news. Luna would’ve told me if there were any breakthroughs. And I think that that news was the worst of all.

The only thing worse than bad news was no news. I was going out of my mind with worry, and was making myself sick with the stress of it. That was part of the reason they’d kept me in hospital so long. My doctor had assumed that my sickness was my body not letting me heal from the ‘trauma’ of my crash.

He was true in part. It wasn’t the crash that I wasn’t letting myself recover from. It was Roz, and the fact that I hadn’t been there to help her. And it seemed like no one really cared what happened to her.

Otherwise they would’ve found her by now.

And that wasn’t the only thing bugging me. Luna had brought by a bouquet of flowers, and though they’d been beautiful and I’d loved the gesture, I couldn’t take my eyes off the single stemmed white rose in the center.

It looked like it didn’t belong there, like someone had put it there at the last minute. And that unsettled me.

As I steadied myself into my mattress I let out a heavy sigh. I reached for the remote on my side table, before flicking through the daytime channels. There wasn’t much on, so I settled for _The Ellen Show_. If I was going to watch television, it may as well be a show that doesn’t require much attention.

I was midway through an interview with one of the Kardashians when I heard the telltale click of my door handle. My eyes skipped up to land on the face of my nurse. She smiled at me brightly, to which I struggled not to roll my eyes.

“Am I allowed to leave yet?” I asked. I turned off the television and proceeded to fidget with the folds of the blanket over my lap. The nurse gave a small chuckle.

“Got somewhere special to be?” she smiled. I just gave her a stern look.

“I’m serious. You guys have kept me in here for literally no reason. I have bruises and a few scrapes, that doesn’t warrant a week in the infirmary.”

The nurse sighed, smiling at me sadly. “Honey, you know it was for more than that. We had to run tests–”

“Well are you done?” I interrupted, “Because I’m sure there are people who would need this bed more than me. I’m not broken.”

The nurse pursed her lips as she fixed the pillows behind me. She gave a small huff when she was done, placing her hands on her hips and giving me a stern look.

She raised her left eyebrow questioningly and I just stared back at her. She finally sighed and gave in. “Fine. I’ll organize your release papers. Can you contact someone to come and pick you up?”

I shrugged. “I can drive myself home,” I said. The nurse just clicked her tongue at me.

“No chance, Sweets. No operating heavy machinery for at least a week. Doctor’s orders.”

I sighed, leaning my head back but caught her eye. “Alright.”

The nurse smiled at me and began to gather all of the equipment I no longer needed. I caught her arm after a few minutes of silence. “Thanks, uhm… thanks for looking after me, I guess,” I mumbled. The nurse just smiled at me and nodded.

“It was my pleasure, Sweets. When you’re not bitching, you’re actually quite good company,” she grinned. I scoffed at her language before grinning right back. With a nod, she left the room and I was alone once again.

I heaved myself out of the bed and over to the armchair in my room that had a small stack of neatly folded clothes. I brought them into the bathroom, getting changed. Luna had brought them by a few days ago, but I hadn’t been allowed to wear them yet.

They were simple, a pair of grey sweatpants and a blue t-shirt without a logo. When I walked back out to my room, I picked up my phone and dialed.

_“What’s up, Siren?”_

I smiled at the sound of his voice. “I need a ride. Think you can spare an hour?” I could practically hear him shrugging from over the phone.

_“Sure. They finally letting you leave?”_

I nodded before realizing he couldn’t see me. “Yup.”

_“Damn, I thought we were gonna have to pull some Mission Impossible shit,”_ he laughed. I grinned.

“Not quite. For once we’re going to do it the legal way. I don’t need Lucas up my ass about something else. When can you get here?”

_“Give me ten minutes. I just need to hand off this bike to one of the prospects. I’ll come in my truck so you’ll be more comfortable,”_ he chuckled.

I smiled. “Thanks, JJ,” I smiled before hanging up the phone. I quickly got my stuff together, gritting my teeth through the pain of moving my stiff legs. They were only this bad because I’d been practically nailed to my bed.

The nurse came back and sat with me while I waited, then when Jax finally showed up, she walked with us to reception and helped him sign the release forms. Then Jax practically carried me out to his truck, treating me like I was fragile as he ushered me into the cab seat.

I all but wanted to slap him upside the head. He grinned at me apologetically.

“Sorry, Talon’s orders.”

I rolled my eyes at him. “I’m not some broken child just because I smashed my bike into a van,” I grumbled. Jax just chuckled at me.

“Well, luckily you didn’t total it. I was able to fix most of it in the past week but I’ll need a few more days before it’s in working order.”

I grinned at him before we sat in silence as he pulled out of the hospital lot. We were ten minutes down the road before a word was uttered.

“So, how come you called me to come get you, and not Trigger?”

I whipped Jax with my side eye, he was just grinning. Though, his eyes held a small amount of worry. I sighed.

“Why would I call him. He doesn’t even like me.”

Jax gave me an incredulous look. “Are you kidding me? He beat up two guys just for talking to you.”

I rolled my eyes, remembering when I’d had to pick them up from the police station. “That’s not what that was about,” I mumbled. Jax just grinned, keeping his eyes back steady on the road.

“Sure, it wasn’t,” he said. “All I know is that I was there in the moment, and you weren’t. So, I only know what I saw with my own two eyes, and heard with my own two ears.”

I scoffed. “You were stoned out of your mind that night. Whatever you remember means jack shit,” I laughed. Jax just shrugged, his eyes holding in a laugh. We finally pulled up to my house and I was immediately confused.

“What the hell?” Jax asked. I ignored him, getting myself down from the truck and walking up to my front porch.

It was completely covered with an embarrassing display of white roses. My stomach dropped to the bottoms of my feet and I swallowed back bile.

These were the same flowers that someone had left on my windowsill.

“What’s going on?” Jax asked. He had found his place beside me, reach down and picking up one of the single stemmed plants. When he turned to me, I could only imagine he’d laid eyes on a white face and a look of pure nausea.

“Whoa. Cor, what’s happening? Who sent these?”

I turned away from him, my hand pulled up over my mouth to cover it from the sickly smell that was wafting from the display.

“Is there a note?” I whispered. “There’s got to be a note…”

Jax gave me a confused look but dutifully searched the pile for a card of some kind. I was rooted in place, my legs not letting me move.

The hair on my arms was raised like when you know someone is staring at you. Jax finally stood up from the pile, his hand holding out a plain white piece of paper to me.

I took it with shaky hands, taking a deep breath before opening the fold and reading the words before my eyes could blur over.

**Sorry to see that pretty face all banged up. We wouldn’t want that to happen again, now would we? Get better soon, Sweetness.**

My breath was short as I dropped the note. Jax was quick to catch it and read it as my hand flew to my head. I turned around, looking down my driveway and into the brush that surrounded it. Whoever was watching me, was here now, I could feel it.

“Cora, what’s going on. Who are these from?”

With a whisper, I turned back to Jax. “Call Gage,” I managed to get out. Then I ran back to the cab of Jax’s truck and thrust myself inside, locking the door. I could see Jax giving me a weird look from where he stood in front of my house.

But then he pulled out his phone and dialed. I realized I was shivering. I clasped my hands together and blew warm air into them, trying to calm myself down. Jax didn’t get into the car with me. I watched him just stand in front of my house as we waited for Gage to arrive.

Not five minutes later, he was speeding down my driveway on the back of his Harley. But the image of him did nothing to soothe the fear in my head. I was surprised that he had even come. I wasn’t expecting him to, especially after not having visited me the past week in hospital.

He was quick to dismount his bike, meeting with Jax in front of my house with harsh strides. They spoke for a moment, Jax gesturing in my direction, before handing Gage the note with a confused look.

I watch as Gage read the note, his face blank, but his eyes gave him away. They were hard and angry as he looked up. He gave the area a quick, smooth once over, looking around for outsiders as I had done.

I looked down at my hands as Gage and Jax swapped keys and Gage stormed up to the drivers door of the truck. He threw himself inside and Jax rode off on Gage’s bike.

We sat in silence and Gage considered how to approach the situation. “Am I the first to know?” he asked, his voice low. I did nothing but nod, looking away from him.

“You’re not staying here. You have a choice. Either you can stay the compound, where you’re protected, and you’ll have to come clean with your brother; or you can stay at my home where Bullet can keep you safe.”

I looked up at Gage, my eyes watery. “Do I have to decide right now?” I was shocked that he’d offered up his own home. Maybe Jax’s words had some merit after all.

Gage shook his head before jamming the key in the ignition and backing out of the driveway angrily. I focused my gaze on the way his hands clenched on the wheel as we set off out of the drive.

.

**Hide your kids, hide your wife…**


	14. 13

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN**

**Coraline**

My eyes were watching the roadside pass by as Gage drove from my house to his own. We hadn’t spoken since sitting in my driveway. His eyes hadn’t moved from the road ahead of him either.

He hadn’t glanced my way even once by the time we pulled up at his house. Silently, he got out of his seat and slammed his door shut. I was frozen, unsure if I really wanted to move yet.

I watched as Gage walked around the hood before standing at my window. Our eyes locked through the glass and I watched his shoulders slump slightly with a small sigh.

He opened the door gently and held out his hand for me to take. Then he slowly helped me out of the truck and onto my shaky feet.

“Alright?” he asked. I nodded, my eyes darting around. I was completely on edge and hated that I didn’t feel like myself. I wasn’t usually such a pussy. I wasn’t this weak girl who always looked over her shoulder.

I was stronger than that.

I would be stronger than this.

I could be stronger than this.

I sighed as I stepped forward so that Gage could shut the door. I heard the engine of Gage’s motorcycle coming to a rugged stop in the drive beside us. Gage and Jax gave each other a small nod before swapping keys and soon Jax was on his way again, taking his car with him.

I walked inside silently, throwing myself onto the couch. Bullet came charging down the stairs and practically jumped into my lap at the sight of me. It wasn’t two minutes before Gage came inside too, locking the door behind him.

He looked over at me on his couch, his dog by my side. I watched the cogs turn in his head as an idea formed.

“Take him everywhere with you,” Gage said, his voice low, “He’ll keep you safe.”

My heart was touched that he thought I needed this much protection, but of course, I was my father’s daughter. I was stubborn as hell, and so, of course, the next words spilled through my lips before I even knew what was happening.

“I don’t need extra protection,” I said, my voice small. I hated that I’d said it, regretting it instantly. I don’t think I really believed my own voice, because my fingers were tangled in Bullet’s fur, and I would be completely happy to take him everywhere with me.

Gage didn’t believe my words either, because he raised an eyebrow at me and crossed his big arms over his even bigger chest. I saw the hint of a smirk pulling at his upper lip.

“Not up for discussion, Coraline.” With that, he walked from the room and into the kitchen. I frowned. He wasn’t going to fight me on this one? I got up from my seat and Bullet whimpered slightly upon realizing I was leaving.

He bounced off the sofa before following me into the kitchen. I watched Gage bending over in the fridge. He pulled out two cans of soda, passing one to me.

“Drink it. You need sugar in your system.” His command left no room for argument, but when I didn’t respond and didn’t do anything with the drink, Gage lay his eyes on me once again.

He rolled them slightly before taking the drink from me and snapping the cap. “Coraline, drink it.” He pressed the can back into my hand and I grasped it before it would fall to the floor.

I took a big gulp from the drink, thanking the energizing feeling that went rushing through my veins. Before I knew it, I’d finished the drink. I threw it in the trash and Gage held up the other can for me. I took it gratefully, but this time only sipped on it slowly.

“You can call me, Cora, you know?” I said. “It doesn’t always have to be Coraline.”

Gage watched me slowly, taking in my words but not necessarily considering them. With a small shake of his head, he stood up straighter and made a small ‘follow me’ notion with his fingers.

I followed dutifully with Bullet at my heels. He dipped his head at my hanging hand and I happily pet him as I walked. His head was the perfect height for me to not have to reach down. I could blame that on my impossible short height.

We made our way out of the kitchen and to a door that was underneath the stairs. I’d never been in there, I’d always just assumed it was his basement.

To my surprise, Gage pulled a key from his pocket to unlock the door. He turned the light on and we made our way down. What was in there surprised me even more, even though it probably shouldn’t have.

“Why do you have so many weapons?” I asked, my voice shaky as I looked over the rows of rifles and handguns, as well as some knives and even a machete. They were all hanging on the walls in glass display cases. In the middle of the room was a standing cabinet with rows upon rows of ammunition on display.

Gage cocked his eyebrow at me. “Talon thought it necessary for his Sergeant at Arms to have ready access to sufficient weaponry.”

I mentally face palmed. I often forgot Gage’s roll in the club. The Sergeant At Arms was responsible for recruiting new prospects. They were also the President’s right hand man for all things illegal, including threatening and holding enemies accountable. It also meant that sometimes Gage was forced to be the club’s executioner.

I’d never talked to anyone about the logistics of it all, and had no idea if Gage had ever had to follow through on the more violent of his duties. It wasn’t something that I really wanted to know.

I stood silently with Bullet sitting at my feet as Gage walked through the basement, opening different cabinets and draws until he came across a few handguns. He handed me a Glock, and a Smith and Wesson.

“Hold it in your hand. Feel the weight of it, then hold it up and take your aim.”

I raised my eyebrow at him. “You think I’ve never shot a gun before?”

Gage rolled his eyes but didn’t say anything. I handed him back the Smith and Wesson, holding the Glock in my palm. I flipped it over, cocking it to check the ammunition.

It was empty, so I closed it and held it up to aim. I closed one eye, fixing my stance as I used two hands, my arms slightly bent. My feet were spread apart and my shoulders were square. After getting myself used to it, I moved to stand back up.

Gage handed me a box of ammunition and I took it, shoving it into my back pocket.

“Gonna explain why I need this?” I asked. Gage wasn’t looking at me, he was closing up and locking all his drawers and cabinets. When he finally turned back around, he was slipping his own gun into the back of his jeans.

“Protection.” Was his only reply. I rolled my eyes.

“Bullet and a gun,” I chuckled. “Bit overboard, right?”

Gage shook his head slightly. “Frankly, I think it isn’t enough.”

We were silent for a while as I stared him down. He was avoiding my eyeline. Why was he so adamant on wrapping me in layers of bubble wrap?

“Look, whoever this person is, they’ve managed to break into your house twice. They managed to scale my house to get to your window. They got your number from who knows where, and not to mention, were able to kidnap your best friend and three other girls without a fight.

“I think that no amount of dogs or guns are going to stop whoever these people are, and I think that you need to be taking your safety a little more seriously. You’re worth more than you think, Coraline. I mean for god’s sake, you’ve ended up in a hospital bed once already. Do you need another?”

With that, the man stepped past me and began walking up the stairs. My eyes were wide as I held the gun in my hands. I turned and made my way behind Gage, Bullet following us. Gage was waiting at the top to lock the door, which is just what he did when I was out. I took the time to shove my gun into the back of my own jeans.

What did he mean? I’m worth more than I think? What was that supposed to mean?

“You don’t think I can handle myself,” I asked, my hands resting on my hips. Gage just turned and let out an audible sigh.

“I’m not taking any chances with your life,” Gage said, before once again, stepping past me to walk away. He was pissing me off. Why couldn’t he just stand in one place so that we could finish our argument?

I followed behind him to find he was pulling on his cut. He looked at me pointedly before taking his keys off the hook by the door. He then moved to open the front door. I pulled on his arm slightly, making him stop.

“Where are you going?” I asked, my voice small. Gage set his eyes on mine, unblinking.

“We’re going to the compound. Talon deserves to know what has happened with you. Precautions need to be put in place for your safety. I’m not going behind his back with this anymore, Coraline.”

I was suddenly angry. Wasn’t it my choice if I wanted to tell my brother?

“No! He doesn’t need to know. We can figure this out without him.”

Gage ignored me, walking out the door and towards his truck. He opened the door for Bullet to jump in, which just left me standing at the front door. I wanted to stomp my foot like a child, but I knew it wouldn’t get me anywhere.

Gage stood at the hood of the truck, levelling me with a glare. “Let us help you, Coraline. Lucas doesn’t need to lose you too.”

I sighed angrily. The stupid fucker knew he was guilt tripping me. I glared at him, watching the victory ring clear behind his eyes. I slammed the front door shut, letting the automatic lock click shut. Then I stomped my way to the passenger door.

I slid in quietly, crossing my arms with a scowl on my face. Gage ignored my antics as he started the truck and then we were off.

.

“I declare this meeting, open.”

I looked over at Lucas as he sat at the head of the table, slamming the gavel down in its place. We were in the ‘chapel’, otherwise known as the DireWolves headquarters. It was strictly members only, and used for meetings and votes.

In the middle of the room was a table that could seat up to twenty men. It was a huge mahogany piece with the nicknames of each member who had ever been patched, carved into the wood. The nicknames were strictly so that if the authorities were ever to raid the place, the anonymity of the club members remained intact.

I eyed the indentation of my father’s name, my eyes carefully tracing each letter as Lucas spoke.

“You’ve all been summoned here to discuss the matter of the kidnapping of our women that took place a week ago at the Flower Petal. Four women were taken, three belonged to us,” Lucas said, his voice holding an intense amount of authority.

There was a hum of angry agreement that strummed through the members in the room. I was livid. Roz was the only one of the four who didn’t ‘belong’ to the club, so technically, she wasn’t a priority of the club.

She was, however, a priority of mine. She was the reason I was sitting in on this meeting. I didn’t usually involve myself in club business, but I was here as her spokesperson so that she wasn’t unaccounted for.

Women weren’t usually allowed in the chapel, which is why Luna was nowhere to be seen; but, as both a fully patched member, and the daughter of our former President, it was my birthright.

There were about thirty members in the room, only twenty having seats at the table. Lucas sat at the head with Gage at his right hand, and Jax at his left. I was sitting at the other end of the table. My eyes flipped up to catch Gage’s. He held my gaze for a moment, but then dropped it to take a drag from his cigarette.

I knew Gage planned to tell Lucas and the rest of the men about my ‘visitor’. He wanted me to do it myself, and so had agreed to let me be the one to break it to Lucas. But I knew Gage better than he thought I did.

If he had even a sneaking suspicion that I wouldn’t follow through on my promise, he’d step up to the plate and tell Lucas himself.

And I was going to let him. But he didn’t know that.

“The reason we haven’t held a meeting until now, is because of Siren,” Lucas said, nodding his head in my direction. “Cora got into a nasty accident following the kidnapping, and the club needed time to let her heal so that the matter may also be discussed. I know there have been many whispers going around the compound that the two matters may be linked.”

“How do we know it’s not just a coincidence?” One member chimed. Gage looked up from his smoke and locked eyes with the man who had spoken.

“I was an eyewitness to Coraline’s crash. The vehicle that almost ran her over matches the description given to us by the prospects, of the men who kidnapped our women,” Gage stated, his voice hard. He wouldn’t look me in the eye.

No one had told me that bit of information.

“Why didn’t you follow the van?” Another chimed. Lucas was quick to jump in to defend Gage.

“Tell me, Samual, if it were you who happened across a member of the President’s family, her head split open and bleeding across the gravel from the crash; would you follow the van that hit her, or would you send for an ambulance?”

Samual fell quiet and Lucas nodded, glaring at the man.

“Exactly what I thought,” Lucas quipped. “Trigger chose to prioritize Coraline’s life over following a lead that only had a fifty-fifty chance of panning out. Besides, he called for backup. Two of our prospects were chosen to follow the van. Boys, report,” Lucas said, waving forward two young prospects.

“We left the compound immediately after the Sergeant’s call. There were two vehicles in the area that matched his description, so we split up and followed them. The first turned out to be a delivery van for the local florist. When I asked the driver to report his whereabouts and activities for the morning, he was clean. I checked out his alibi and went to multiple of his earlier deliveries. The time frame checked out, and the GPS on his dashboard calculated his route. He wasn’t anywhere near where Siren crashed,” the first boy said, nodding at both Lucas and I, before stepping back to let the other boy talk.

I realized that they were the same two boys who I had walked in on when Lucas had been reprimanding them in his office all those weeks ago. Back before Gage had come back to town. The second boy stepped forward.

“I followed the second van. They took a back route out of town, which was sketchy, so I stayed back enough that they didn’t know I was tailing them. They drove for an hour before entering into Diablos territory. I was able to get through town without being harassed by any Diablos, and saw the van back into a big warehouse. I sat outside for another two hours, waiting to see any more action but there wasn’t any.”

The boy stood back and Lucas nodded.

“So, the Diablos took our women?” Samual grunted.

Lucas shook his head. “I’ve spoken with Miguel, the President of the Diablos. He has been accommodating and given us assistance in locating and questioning all of his delivery and van drivers. They all came back clean, which leads me to believe that it’s the work of an outsider trying to frame the Diablos. It seems somebody wants to start a turf war.”

There was a rumble of unease that spread through the crowd. Jax was quick to settle them down with a sharp whistle.

“Listen up,” Jax spat, “We’ve had no word on the girls until this morning. A box arrived at the door addressed to Talon.” Jax brought out the box in question, slamming it down on the table and opening the lid.

I almost gagged as I set eyes on the contents. The box was a Styrofoam one meant for storing cold items; and, inside on a bed of ice, sat one detached pinky finger covered in blood from when it had been severed. It was cut so precisely, you could see the bone.

I cringed away from the digit. There was a simple silver banded ring sitting on the finger, with ‘DW’ carved into it. Many of the old ladies in the club carried the ring. I couldn’t help but feel slightly comforted by the finger, because I knew that it at least wasn’t Roz’s.

Roz had been wearing bright red polish on the night she’d been taken, and this finger’s nail was clean. Also, Roz also wasn’t an old lady, so she didn’t own one of those rings.

There was an undercurrent of outrage surging through all of the men in the room. I looked up from the box, noticing that Gage was trying to catch my attention. His eyes were hard as he looked at me.

Like he was trying to tell me that now was the time to tell Lucas about my visitor. But I knew it wasn’t the right time. After news like this, these men would go wild, their protective instincts would kick in.

I knew my brother, and I knew that if I told him now, he’d go into overdrive. He might look like he has everything under control, but I knew that this would break him.

I shook my head slightly at Gage and he glared at me, his fist clenching on the table as he put out his cigarette. There was another question in his eyes as he flicked his vision from the finger, up to me. I relaxed a little bit.

He wanted to know if it was Roz’s. I shook my head, and watched his shoulders slump slightly. I looked over at Jax, who was trying to get the men in the room to calm down. Lucas ended up taking matters into his own hands, slamming the gavel down three times.

The room fell silent as everyone looked up to their President, who was standing on his feet. “Cut it out,” he yelled. “We’re not going to get anything done if none of you can control yourselves. We’ve got guys tracking the return address and scoping things out as we speak.”

The room fell silent as they let Lucas’ words sink in. “Now, while we’re all gathered, are there any other things to note?”

Lucas looked over to Gage, his eyebrow raised in question. Gage turned to look at me and I glared at him.

_Don’t you dare._ My eyes warned. Gage ignored me. I turned to see that Jax was also looking my way. Lucas caught our small exchange and glared at me.

“Something to share, Coraline?” he asked. He was trying to assert dominance so as not to look weak in front of his men. It was bad if the President was last to know things. I just glared at my brother, shaking my head. I looked over at Gage to see him glaring at me.

I knew then that I was toast. Lucas turned to look back between Gage and Jax. “Someone want to let me in on your secret?” He asked, his voice dripping with venom.

“Sure,” a voice said. My eyebrows raised in surprise when I realized it wasn’t Gage who had spoken. I flipped my eyes to glare at Jax, who just shrugged apologetically at me.

“He needs to know, Cor,” Jax said, his voice sharp, like a needle. I looked away from him, focusing my eyes on my hands clasped on top of the table.

“Need to know what?” Jax asked, his eyes slitting dangerously. “If someone doesn’t start talking, I swear…”

“Coraline has had a visitor,” Jax stated. I looked up, glaring at Lucas.

“What?” he said. He was glaring at me. “Cora? Explain.”

I looked around the room to see every member staring at me. “Fine, you bully,” I said. I turned and pointed at Jax. “You’re dead later, by the way,” I seethed. Jax just shrugged at me.

I rolled my eyes but looked back at Lucas. He looked about ready to murder me for making him look bad in front of his mutts. “Basically, a couple of weeks ago I got a text message from an unknown number. Then they started sending me flowers, then on the night the girls were kidnapped, they broke into my house when I wasn’t home and left me a message on my bathroom mirror. Then they sent me a flower at the hospital after my crash, then when I came home from the hospital, they had broken into my house again and left flowers everywhere.

“Happy now?” I glared at Lucas, who looked white faced and shocked. I then turned my glare on Gage and Jax before getting up from my seat and stomping out of the room hastily.

When I left the room I ran into one of the prospects who hadn’t been let into the meeting. “What’s up pretty girl? You’re looking fly today.”

I glared at the boy, he couldn’t have been older than nineteen. Before I could reply, I was interrupted by someone behind me. “Lay off,” the voice said. I turned to glare at Gage, who wasn’t looking at me but was instead having an intense staredown with the idiot who had hit on me.

“I don’t need you fighting my battles anymore. I can take care of myself,” I seethed at gage, who turned his glare on me. But I ignored him. Instead I turned back to the cocky prospect in front of me and clenched my fist.

“Here’s a tip. Girls don’t like it when you objectify them,” I quipped, before raising my fist and punching the kid square across the jaw. He fell to the floor cradling his jaw and I stepped over him.

I whistled twice and Bullet came running from another room, then I pulled Gage’s keys from the hook by the door. I loaded Bullet and myself into gage’s truck and backed out angrily.

The asshole could catch a ride home with someone else; right then, I didn’t want to deal with him yelling at me. He might not have told Lucas, but he was the one who had Lucas on my trail in the first place.

I drove home in an anger, throwing myself into his spare bed when I got there, Bullet curled up at my feet.

.

**This little piggy went to the market.**


	15. 14

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN**

**Coraline**

I groaned as I rolled over. My body was stiff from having had Bullet lying over my legs all night. And I knew better than to disturb a pet in their sleep for the sake of my own comfort, they were too precious for that.

However, right now, the pup was nowhere to be found. I wiped the sleep from my eyes as I tried to get myself to wake up like a normal human being. I sat up, letting the covers fall into my lap.

I swiped a shirt from the floor where I’d thrown it last night, whipping it on before pushing back the covers and rolling out of bed.

I was still unbelievable pissed about last night. Jax and Gage had no right to out me. I would’ve done it in my own time, and I knew that now, Lucas wasn’t going to let me out of his damn sight.

I wasn’t some damsel that needed rescuing twenty-four seven. I sighed as I pulled my impossibly long hair up into a makeshift ponytail/bun/mess that I probably wouldn’t bother to unbrush. I threw on a pair of sweatpants to match my shirt. I didn’t have plans to leave the house today – not that Gage or Lucas would let me – but I was at least going to be comfortable.

I trudged out of my room and downstairs to the kitchen to get a glass of water. When I peered out the small window inside the front door, I noticed that Gage’s truck wasn’t in the drive, so I smiled to myself.

At least he wasn’t here to bug me this morning. But the sound I heard next made my eyes narrow towards the kitchen.

I could hear Bullet’s tail thumping on the ground, but he only did that with people he knew, so hopefully there wasn’t some stranger in the house. I walked a little closer, peering around the doorway only to see Luna sitting on the counter with a handful of dog treats.

She dropped them intermittently into the waiting mouth of Bullet. I smiled as I watched. She eventually lifted her head and noticed me.

“Hey, babe. Didn’t know you were up yet,” she said, hopping down and giving Bullet a swift pat on the head. I grinned at the way his tongue lolled out of his mouth happily. Then I moved forward to grab a bottle of water from the fridge.

“Yeah, I didn’t expect anyone to come by today,” I said, gesturing towards my attire. Luna just grinned.

“Yeah, I can tell,” she chuckled. “Anyways, I’m not here on a social visit. I heard that Lou finally knows about the guy harassing you…”

I sighed, taking a swig of the water without meeting her eyes. “So he sent you to be my keeper then?” I asked when I put the bottle down. “Well, at least he didn’t send himself. I would’ve just kicked him out.”

Luna laughed. “Nah he didn’t send me to be your keeper. I mean, he knows I’m here, but he didn’t ask me to be. I actually came because I have something that I think might make you feel better…”

I eyed my future sister-in-law warily. “What did you do?” I asked suspiciously. Luna grinned at me.

“I figured you could use some time away from all the guy club drama, and that you could hang out with me to take your mind off… well off Roz and Gage and everything.”

I frowned. “There’s nothing going on between me and Gage,” I said. Luna raised her eyebrow at me like she thought I was full of shit.

“I swear, you two are as blind as bats towards each other,” she laughed, shaking her head. “The chemistry between you two is so obvious, it’s like a giant pink elephant.”

I laughed at the image. “You’re crazy. I mean, sure… I used to have a crush on him when I was like fifteen, but I’m over that now,” I said, but I couldn’t make myself meet her eyes.

“You’re so lying to yourself,” Luna laughed, pinching my waist a little. I winced, she’d managed to catch one of my bruises that hadn’t quite healed yet.

“Oh, shit, Cor I’m so sorry.”

I waved her off. “What was it that you wanted to do today?” I asked, changing the subject from the awkward one about my feelings for Gage.

Luna grinned. “So, I bought this car from one of the junkyards on the outs of town. The car was scheduled for demo, but I found these guys that will let us help. So, suit up, babe, we’re gonna let off some steam.”

Her eyes were glowing with mischief and my mouth dropped to the floor. “We get to legally destroy a car?” I asked. I couldn’t believe it. This was gonna be so cool. Luna just began nodding before she turned me around and pushed me out of the kitchen.

“Now, go upstairs and change, we’re leaving in five minutes.”

I practically ran to my room. I was so damn excited to release some pent up energy. Then something dawned on me and I peeked my head back out of my doorway, catching Luna’s eyes.

“What are we gonna do with Bullet? Gage asked me to keep me with him at all times,” I said. Luna grinned.

“It’s alright, I called Linc and he’s going to come and pick him up. Apparently he’s got some playdate planned with Sentinel at the clubhouse.”

I nodded, giving her a thumbs up before flitting back into my room to change. This was going to be so much damn fun.

.

**Gage**

I lifted the precisely rolled joint from the table to my lips. The men surrounding me were arguing over which woman in the compound was the best in the sack.

The all disgusted me.

“Hayley’s got a sweet little thing going for her…”

“Yeah, but she ain’t anywhere near as experienced as Becky…”

“Oh, shit, I forgot about the tits on Becky. She’s carrying beach balls, am I right?”

They all started to laugh at the objectification of the girls. I couldn’t help the way my fists clenched when one name in particular crossed their lips.

“What about Siren, huh?”

“Oh, fuck yeah. If she wasn’t off limits, I’ve would’ve bagged that bitch years ago…”

“Her hair is so long, I’d be able to tug on that shit all night…”

I closed my eyes, taking a drag from my joint as I tried to ignore them. I didn’t know why I’d come to the compound today. I think it was to stay away from Coraline. After she’d stormed out of the meeting last night, I’d figured she didn’t want to see me.

I scowled as I pulled my phone from my pocket and pressing the voice record button. I wasn’t usually one to snitch, but the way they were talking about her made me want to smash all of their faces into the wall.

“I think she’d be a screamer,” one added, but was met with a round of disagreement.

“No way, you’re totally off the mark. Siren’d be one of those soft moan chicks. I reckon’ she’d pant like a fucking porn star.” All the men laughed, agreeing with the statement and I grit my teeth.

I hated the way they were talking about her, as if she was some piece of meat that could be passed around. She had been through too much shit to have these assholes think of her that way.

_But you’re one of those assholes_ , I reminded myself. I clenched my teeth as I reminded myself of the many ways that I had imagined Lucas’ sister since the day I’d left Florida.

She was the kind of girl who you didn’t just forget overnight. Or apparently in my case, even after ten years you couldn’t forget about her.

I took another drag of my joint as so many images of her raced through my mind. From the glimpse I’d seen of her on the first day I came back, and that little tattoo that she’d never spoken about. She’d been half naked and I’d practically sprinted from the room. To every revealing pair of daisy dukes she’d ever worn, and the fact that she didn’t seem to own any t-shirts that weren’t cropped didn’t help.

All of those images had tormented me for weeks, months even. She was no longer the small fifteen-year-old girl that I’d left behind all those years ago. She was no longer just my best friend’s little sister.

She was so much more than that now. She was a woman, and that fact I couldn’t deny. She had grown into her figure and her personality so much that she knew she was irresistible.

She was going to be the death of me, and I didn’t have the strength to be away any more. I thought ten years would be enough, but it wasn’t.

Ten years didn’t even scratch the surface. Instead, I now found that I wouldn’t be able to leave again. Because even the small interaction that I had now, was enough to keep me in this town forever. I was rooted in this place, because I didn’t have the willpower to pull away anymore.

I was pulled out of my train of thought when I heard my name being called. I looked up angrily, still pissed that these men had managed to discredit her so easily.

“What about you, Sarge? Got your eye on anyone in particular?” Muggs asked. I scowled at him, hearing a sharp chuckle from another at the end of the table.

“Not a chance,” Samual chortled, “I ain’t seen Trigger look at any girls for more than two seconds since he’s been home.”

“What’s the matter, Sarge?” Another chided, “You hiding something from us? Did your time overseas give you an affinity for male company or something? You spent so long over there that women aren’t on your radar no more?”

My eyes whipped from the joint in my hand to glare at the man who had spoken. I turned my harsh glare on the weedy looking human who had dared question my actions.

It was true, I hadn’t been outwardly interested in any of the women that kept company at the club house. And it was for a good reason.

Not only did none of those women take my fancy, but they were also no more than children. The women who frequented the clubhouse were barely of the legal age, and I had no interest in chasing schoolgirls.

Besides, I’d unwillingly had my eye on someone else…

“Are you questioning your superior?” I asked dangerously, flicking my joint and taking a drag. I pulled my switchblade from my pocket and flicked it open, before slamming the blade into the wooden table before me. My eyes had not once left the locked gaze of the man who had ill-spoken.

“While it’s none of your business, the reason I haven’t taken vested interest in the girls that roam these halls lies purely in the fact that I don’t approve of bedding those who are barely old enough to vote,” I said, my voice like acid. The men who had dared question my motives were now facing the floor, their eyes downcast and their demeanor broken.

“Anyone else care to voice their opinion of my sex life?” I said. When I was satisfied with the silence that filled the room, I leant back in my chair and took another drag of my cigarette. Then I pulled my phone from my pocket, the recording flashing on the screen.

I watched Samual’s eyes go wide. “Oh, and one more thing. I don’t think Talon will appreciate what you’ve had to say about his sister,” I scowled before pressing stop on the recording and storming out of the room of stunned men.

I couldn’t listen to them any longer. I shuffled my way through the downstairs level of the club house until I found the kitchen. My eyes widened slightly when they landed on the very woman who had occupied my mind for the morning.

Her back was to me, but Luna was facing my way. I gave her a small nod, to which she reciprocated. I noticed Bullet and Sentinel lying at their feet, their heads resting on the floor from a long day of playing in the backyard.

I signaled with my hand for Bullet to come to my heel, and he did so willingly. Coraline looked up from the table when she felt him move. She turned and suddenly her eyes were on mine.

And I couldn’t look away.

I frowned, before my legs moved forward of their own accord. My eyes zeroed in on the small cut on her cheek. I stopped myself before I could get any closer.

“Alright?” I asked, nodding slightly at the open cut. Coraline gave me an odd look before seeming to realize what I was talking about.

“Oh, that. No, yeah, I’m fine. Luna and I demolished a car this morning and a little piece of glass from the windshield managed to snag me. I was wearing all the gear, but I guess that one piece just slipped by.”

We fell into silence, neither of us really knowing what else to say. I knew she was still pissed at me for the meeting last night, so I didn’t really know how to approach everything. I was glad I’d called Luna to take Coraline out today.

I knew she’d needed to let off some steam, and I just hoped Luna hadn’t told her that I’d asked her to. I wanted to make it up to Cora, but didn’t really know quite how. I was glad she’d enjoyed herself, and glad that I knew her well enough to know what might help get things off her mind.

Our awkward silence was interrupted as Jax walked into the room.

“Woah,” he laughed. “You guys, I could cut the tension in here with a knife right now.”

I whipped my head around to glare at him, to which he just put his hands up in defense. Cora glared at him too, clearly still angry with the both of us. Jax just shrugged before turning to look pointedly at Cora.

“Look, I know you’re mad at me, but Talon had a right to know. With everything that’s going on right now, he shouldn’t have been kept in the dark. You’re his only family, and I’d hate myself if something happened to you and he didn’t know anything about what was going on,” Jax admitted, leaning against the doorframe.

Cora had a murderous look in her eye.

“That’s such bullshit, Viper. I was going to tell him on my own time. You two idiots embarrassed me and outed me in front of every single member of this stupid club. I was going to treat it carefully and tell Lucas when we were alone.”

I scowled, looking down at my feet. I technically hadn’t said anything last night, but I knew why she was angry. It was me who had drawn Lucas’ attention to her in the first place.

“You two not only made me look stupid and weak, but you also made Lucas look like an idiot who has no clue what’s happening in his own club,” Cora snapped. “And while that shit may be true, and my brother may be a clueless idiot, the other members of this club didn’t need to know that shit.”

Jax sighed, looking up at Cora. “Look, Cor, I’m sorry. I know it was a dick move, and that you’re angry about it now, but I promise, we only did it for your safety,” Jax said, before looking at me for backup. “Right, Trig?”

I glared at the man for involving me, because I could now feel Coraline’s heated glare on me. I sighed before catching Cora’s eye slightly. She was staring at me like she hated me.

I finally gave in. “This is to keep you safe,” I said to her. She scoffed and rolled her eyes, before crossing her arms over her chest. Jax gave me a sympathetic nod and I scowled at him.

“Look, I don’t want to argue with you about this, and I don’t want to piss you off anymore than normal,” Jax said. “I’m just here because Talon wants you to hand over your phone. He thinks that he might be able to track the number that texted you in the first place. I told him it was a long shot because anyone who wants to stalk someone would use a burner, but he just wants us to cover all our bases.”

I watched as Cora clenched her fists angrily before dutifully reaching into her pocket. She pulled out her phone and walked up to Jax. She slapped the cell into his outstretched hand, before stomping from the room angrily, not looking back.

Before she stepped out the front door, she whistled for Bullet to follow her, which he did after I pat him on the head. Then the door slammed behind the two of them.

Luna and Jax both gave me sympathetic looks as we heard my truck pull out of the driveway and the engine sputter as she drove away.

I scowled as I too left the kitchen. I walked outside, trying to rid my brain of all the images of Coraline’s angry face. That girl did more to me than she could ever know. I slipped onto my bike and gunned the engine.

I needed to be alone for a while.

.

**A little look inside the impenetrable fortress.**


	16. 15

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN**

**Coraline**

I was getting seriously tired of driving Gage’s truck around town. He insisted that I take Bullet with me everywhere I go, but that meant that I couldn’t ride my bike. I had lost all semblance of street-cred.

And that made me mad. My whole personality was built on the confidence granted to me when I rode. I loved the attention and the eyes on me. I liked it when people had to double take at my appearance and the fact that I looked like a damn badass on the back of my Harley.

All of that went away when I was stuck behind the wheel of his stupid truck. Dressing in my normal clothes didn’t feel right if they were practically hidden behind closed doors, and I’d caught myself wearing blue jeans instead of my normal leather.

Barf with me now.

I had managed to make my attire cute, but I was no longer edgy. For instance, today I was wearing my paint spattered overalls – inspired by style icon Jillian Holtzmann – with the top undone and hanging down. Then I had on a Guns ‘n’ Roses t-shirt and a pair of ugly, army-green combat boots.

It wasn’t a terrible outfit, but it was definitely nowhere near my usual standard.

I grunted as I pulled the truck to a stop outside my realtor’s office. I clipped Bullet into his lead before landing down from the car. That was the other bad thing about driving the truck. It was impossibly huge, and I was no taller than 4’11”, making it a ridiculous car for me to be driving.

I looked like a kid who had stolen her dad’s prize possession.

And Bullet was so huge that when I stood next to him, he made me look like a pre-teen.

I was running a bunch of errands today, and following up on a few loose ends that might lead me to Roz. It had been a week since I’d been in hospital, which meant two weeks since she’d been taken. It had only been a few days since the club had been sent that severed finger, that, thank god, didn’t belong to Roz.

And to make matters better, Gage and I still weren’t on speaking terms. But that one was my fault. I was being a stubborn bitch and throwing a tantrum about Lucas finally knowing my secret.

I knew I’d have to stop being a baby and forgive him soon.

I trudged my way into the realtor’s office. The inside was very clean and very empty. I had two things to do here today, the first was inquire about how someone might have been able to break into the house that they sold me – especially because they had promised me the tightest security. The second was that I wanted access to Roz’s apartment, and I knew they had a spare key.

I thought that maybe there would be something in her place that might have something to do with her kidnapping. It was a long shot, and I knew that, but I had to make sure all my T’s were crossed and my I’s dotted.

I pressed my hand onto the bell on the front receptionist desk, which was strangely unattended. Holly, my realtor, eventually came out to meet me.

“Ms Knight?” she frowned down at Bullet, obviously disturbed by his size, “Is there something I can do for you? Is something wrong with your property?”

I raised my eyebrows in surprise. “Uh yeah, did no one tell you?”

Holly just frowned at me, obviously unaware. I shrugged, my anger boiling beneath the surface. “Actually, I’m quite annoyed. My house has been broken into twice in the past two weeks. I wanted to know how this was possible?”

Holly’s eyes widened in concern. “Oh my, well I am so sorry about that, we made sure that we put all of the necessary security implications in place…”

I scoffed. “Well, either you’re lying, or your promise of complete security is absolute bullshit.”

Holly was coming up blank, without words, really. I rolled my eyes.

“I’m not going to sue or anything, though you’d be fucked if I did. I’m just here because I want to see the security footage, and I know you guys are the only ones with access.”

Holly managed to nod before motioning for me to follow her. “Oh, your, ahh… your pet needs to stay in reception,” she mumbled.

I laughed out loud. “You’re kidding right? I just told you my house was broken into twice and now you’re trying to tell me that I should leave my sensible and personal mode of protection in the waiting room? You’re out of your mind. He’s coming with me, I don’t care about your shitty rules.”

Holly could do nothing but nod, deciding not to argue with me and I raised my eyebrow, daring her to do exactly that when I saw her take one more look at Bullet and hesitate. Then she decided against it and continued walking.

She sat down at a computer and logged into the security files. I gave her the dates of both break ins and she proceeded to pull up the footage.

Only, they were blank. I scowled as I turned the screen to face me.

“I don’t understand,” Holly said, “Nobody knows the password to this computer except me and my boss. I don’t know how someone could have deleted the footage?”

I rolled my eyes at her. “Computers with eight-character passwords are easy enough to hack,” I said dejectedly. “I’ll need access to the system logs in this whole office for every passing moments of the last three weeks.”

Holly scoffed, obviously outraged. “I can’t let you have that! A lot of that is client privilege. That would be completely illegal and I could go to jail for just giving it up to you.”

I raised an eyebrow at her sternly. “If you need me to come back with a stupid police warrant, then I’ll have one made up. Just know, if you’re difficult, it will be no problem for me to file a lawsuit for your incompetence in my home’s security that was blatantly promised by your company, and is even included in my contract, when I signed the deed to the house.”

Holly sighed. “I’m sorry Ms. Knight. The law requires a warrant for that information. I will gladly give it up when you come back with one.”

I scowled. “Fine. I will have my brother arrange for a warrant, and for someone competent to check your system details.”

Holley smiled. “I really don’t mean to be difficult,” she explained, “I just really don’t want to be fired for negligence. You can understand that, right?”

I sighed, nodding. “Yeah, I get it, it’s just frustrating.”

Holly nodded. “Okay, well if that was all you were here for today…”

“Actually, there was one more thing,” I said. “I need the emergency keys to Rosalind Matthews’ apartment.”

“Oh, I can’t give those to you–”

I cut her off. “Roz signed me as her emergency contact. I am legally allowed to be given those keys, it’s in her contract.”

Holly’s eyes widened but then she nodded. “I’ll just go and check the contract now,” she said. “Take a seat in the waiting room while I go and get it.”

I nodded before leading Bullet back out to the receptionist’s desk. I stood and waited for a few minutes until Holly came back out with a few papers. “Okay,” she said as she began flicking through the contract.

“Ahh yes, it does say here that you are the emergency contact of Ms. Matthews. For records sake, may I know the details of why you require her keys at this time.”

I rolled my eyes. “She was kidnapped two weeks ago. I’ve been in hospital and haven’t been able to get to her apartment until now.”

Holly’s eyes widened. “Oh, my… I’m so sorry, I had no idea… I, uhm, I’ll et you those keys so you can get right over there.”

I nodded, watching her leave the room. She came back moments later with the keys and I thanked her. “I’ll have someone come back with a warrant by the end of the day,” I said. Holly nodded and I left, loading back into Gage’s truck. Before I drove off, I took the burner phone that Lucas had given me while he still had my own phone.

I dialed for Linc.

_“What’s up, Cory?”_

I smiled. “I’m just leaving the real estate office now. Turns out my security footage has been reprimanded by a hacker, and my realtor couldn’t give me access to the system logs without a warrant.”

_“Okay? So, what can I do?”_ he asked. I grinned.

“Well, I need someone to come and sit over here and watch that she doesn’t try to bail. I also need you to ask Talon to organize a warrant for those logs. It needs to be done today, like ASAP.”

_“Alright, I can do that. I’ll go tell him now. I’m assuming you want me to be the one to look through those logs?”_ he asked.

I chuckled. “Of course, Linc-y boy. You’re the only one I know with a degree in computer science.”

Linc laughed. _“Alright, Cor. I’ll let Pres know and then I’ll ride right over.”_

I smiled. “Thanks, Linc, you’re the best.”

He chuckled. _“Don’t I know it.”_

With that, we both hung up. I turned to Bullet, giving him a quick rub on the head as I waited for Linc to arrive. When I watched him park his bike across the street, I finally turned on the engine and drove off.

I arrived at Roz’s apartment, finally being able to let myself up. I doubted I’d find anything. After all, because it had been two weeks already, someone could have ransacked the place long before I’d gotten here.

I pushed open the door and looked around. So far, everything looked normal, nothing seemed out of place. I brought Bullet in, who immediately began sniffing around. I had guessed that he was either a bomb-squad or drug sniffer pup.

I began looking around, going into the kitchen. There was an odd smell, but when I opened the fridge, I realized that the smell was just a moldy lasagna. I quickly threw that in the trash. I heard Bullet bark in the living room and frowned, going out to see what he had found. He sat proudly next to a small clear bag. I smiled when I realized it was just Roz’s weed stash.

“Good boy,” I rewarded him anyway, patting his head and letting him lick my hand. I pocketed the bag of Kush and moved into her bedroom. Bullet followed me and jumped up onto the bed. I looked around, almost convinced that nothing had been touched.

When I turned to leave the room, something caught my eye. There was a small white square of paper sitting on the windowsill. I narrowed my eyes before walking over and picking it up.

**Thanks for checking up, Sweetness. Now we know how important she is to you.**

I gasped, my hand flying to my mouth as I choked on my sob. I might have just signed Roz’s death sentence. I ran from the apartment, Bullet was at my heels. I slammed the front door behind me, locking it, before racing down to the truck.

I threw myself into the front seat after Bullet jumped in, wiping away the hot tears that pricked at the corners of my eyes. I started the engine and pulled out my phone before dialing and listening to the call tone. There was only one person who could help me right now.

_“Coraline?”_

“Gage,” I sobbed, “I need you at home, right now.” I had one hand on the wheel, the other was holding my burner cell, and I quickly sped around a corner to make my way to Gage’s house.

_“Okay. Are you alright?”_ his voice was low and sounded worried. I shook my head before realizing he couldn’t see me.

“No, no, no, no! They’re going to kill her. It’s all my fault, it’s all my fault.”

Bullet whimpered beside me as I flew into Gage’s driveway. I shut off the engine and jumped out of the car. Bullet followed as I ran inside.

_“I’m two minutes away. Lock the doors,”_ Gage said, his voice harsh but clear. I managed to answer him before hanging up the phone.

I locked all the doors and ran upstairs into my bathroom. I got into the bath, Bullet hopped in with me. I held him tightly as I cried into his fur. The message from Roz’s captors was still clutched in my hand.

After a few minutes of hiding in my bathroom I heard the door crash open downstairs. I heard heavy boots take the stairs two at a time. I could feel him getting closer as he pushed open my bathroom door, making it slam against the wall.

I looked up at him with broken eyes. He frowned as he looked down at my form crumpled in the bathtub.

Without a word, he picked me up – one arm under my knees and the other cradling my shoulders. I pressed myself into his shirt.

Somehow, despite not having spoken in days, he knew what I needed right now. He walked out of the bathroom and sat down on my bed. He wrapped an arm around my waist as he stroked my hair.

I sobbed into his chest, my tears making a giant puddle on his black t-shirt. I couldn’t help but feel safe. I felt a dip in the mattress as Bullet jumped up to join us, lying down and putting his head in my lap.

I had never been as close to this man as I was in that moment. His fingers dug into my skin like he would never let go. I felt warm everywhere that our skin met. It took a while for me to calm down, but Gage just sat with me, holding me tighter.

When I was finally out of tears, and we’d been sitting in silence for over an hour, I finally moved. Gage let me go, raising an eyebrow as I sat up in his lap. He was propped up on my headboard, his legs stretched out long with my body laid across his midsection and upper thighs.

I wiped my eyes as a blush began to creep up my neck. I could feel my skin getting warm all over as embarrassment began to sink in. Gage’s hands were still on my waist and he used them to turn me around to face him.

I couldn’t meet his eyes, though I sat cross-legged between his ginormous thighs. My hands were clasped in my lap. Gage let go of my waist with his left hand, reaching up to move a strand of chocolate brown hair from my face. Then he cupped my chin and made me look up at him.

When my smooth brown eyes met his stormy blues I almost fell apart again. There was so much emotion behind those eyes. I could see that he wanted to comfort me, but didn’t know how.

His mouth was set in a hard line and his eyebrows were pulled together with concern. His shirt was wrinkled from where I’d had my outburst and his dark hair was tousled haphazardly.

His eyes asked me so many questions.

_Are you okay?_

_Why were you crying?_

_What can I do to help?_

I didn’t answer him with words, instead just opened his palm and placed the crumbled note I’d found at Roz’s. Gage raised an eyebrow at me but opened the note.

I watched his face as he read the words.

He read them a second time.

Then a third.

Then he looked up at me.

“You went to Rosalind’s?” he guessed. I nodded as my eyes began to water again. Gage didn’t say anything as he pulled me closer again. He wrapped his arms around me, just as I did to him. His smell of sea spray engulfed me and I sighed.

Then we just stayed there. In each other’s embrace.

Somehow, Gage knew what I needed. And it was then that I realized this man knew so much more than I ever thought. His silent demeanor allowed him to become an observer. He knew what I needed without having to ask, and didn’t judge me for it; and, that realization comforted me more than I’d ever thought something could.

This man was an enigma.

And I was wrapped up in all of it.

Literally.

.

**Hold me closer, tiny dancerrrrrrr**

***conducts hands like a maestro***


	17. 16

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN**

***mature content warning***

**Coraline**

_I threw my head back as I let the feeling overcome my entire body._

_His hands were everywhere… in my hair… on my skin… on my… everything._

_I felt my breath catch in my throat as his palm ghosted over my left breast. My nipple pebbled under his touch, and my skin was dotted with goosebumps._

_This man had more power over me than he could ever know._

_One of my hands was buried in the dark locks atop his head, the other was thrown around his neck, my fingers grasping at his skin._

_My legs were wrapped around his waist as his mouth pressed hot kisses to the skin at the base of my neck. I could feel the thrum of my accelerating heartbeat in my ears as his arms pulled me closer._

_I was practically shuddering beneath him. I moved my shaky hands to cup his cheeks, bringing his face back up to meet my own. His eyes stared into mine and I was captured under his harsh gaze._

_His ocean eyes were staring into the depths of my soul, and I was panting for it. I unwittingly let out a small whimper as his hips grazed against mine in a slow thrust._

_Our apex’s met in a slow burn, my core igniting with the feel of him inside me. My eyes began to flutter closed as I was overcome with pleasure, and my lover took his chance to enclose his lips over my own._

_The hot grate of his tongue against mine was enough to have me moaning to the ends of the earth. He moved one of his hands to grasp my hip, controlling our speed and I almost came undone as our bodies began moving at an agonizingly slow pace._

_When he released my lips from his bruising force, my mouth fell open in a silent whimper as I felt him everywhere. His other hand moved to cup the back of my head, forcing me to open my eyes and watch him._

_His hands gripped my skin tightly and I gasped as he rolled his hips._

_I could feel something building in the base of my stomach and I clutched his shoulder in panic. This couldn’t be happening so soon._

_I wasn’t ready for this to end._

_But the pressure was taking over my body as I felt my blood rush behind my eyes. My fingertips began to tingle with the force that I gripped his body. He gripped my chin between his thumb and forefinger, trapping me under his gaze for what he knew was coming._

_He wanted to watch me fall apart._

_He wanted to witness my destruction._

_He wanted to b r e a k m e._

_He grunted slightly when the pressure forced my lids to slide shut. He gripped my chin harder, forcing me to open my eyes out of shock. He wanted to see everything._

_He wanted to see the look in my eyes as he saw what his body did to mine._

_I felt my eyes beginning to water with the energy that was sapping from me. His body thrust slowly against mine as he tragically tortured me. I didn’t know how much longer I would last._

_I felt like I was stuck in limbo, between someone who could last forever, and someone who was milliseconds away from explosion._

_My breath began to catch as I felt myself climbing higher. A single tear fell from my open eyes and tracked its way down my face._

_And with one last roll of his hips…_

_I came undone._

_My blood rushed to my head until my ears were ringing. My eyes fell shut as his lips fell onto mine, crushing them with enough force to steal my breath forever._

_He rolled his hips again, prolonging my pleasure, and I moaned appreciatively. His mouth caged my own, refusing to let go as I felt my vision spotting with black behind closed lids._

_And then,_

_There was nothing…_

.

I woke up clutching my chest, gasping for air. My mind was racing with the memory of what had plagued my dreams. I tried to sit up but realized I was trapped in a cage of muscle.

I looked up to realize that I was lying across Gage. One of my arms was slung over his midsection, and his shirt had ridden up slightly so that I could see a strip of exposed, tan skin above the waistline of his jeans.

His sea-spray cologne filled my nostrils, making me feel safer than I ever had in my entire life.

His chest was rising and falling slowly as my head lay upon his right breast. One of his inked arms was curled under his head as his body was half propped up against the headboard. His eyes were closed and his mouth was set in a hard line. His other arm was wrapped over my back and his hand was gripping my hip bone.

His face was relaxed, allowing me to admire him in a way never open to me before.

My eyebrows raised in surprise before I tried to break free from my warm, muscled, tattooed cage. But my struggling only allowed for Gage’s arm to tighten around me. I watched his eyebrows crease in annoyance and he let out a grunt.

“Stop moving, Coraline,” he muttered, his morning voice hoarse and incredibly sexy. My mouth fell open in surprise.

“You’re awake?” I whispered. Gage sighed before pausing, then he opened one eye to stare at me lazily. Before either of us could say anything, his arm tightened around me again, his fingers digging into my hip and reminding me of the dream I’d just woken up from.

Which in turn, reminded me of the reason I’d needed to get up in the first place.

I really needed to use the bathroom and fix myself up.

“Just go back to sleep, Coraline. You need it,” he mumbled, closing his eyes again. I frowned and slapped the hand that was still attached to my hip.

Gage groaned when I finally managed to pry his hand away. Then I sat up triumphantly. “I don’t need sleep, you big bully,” I said, my voice low. Gage raised an eyebrow at me, with the hint of a smirk playing on his lips.

I rolled my eyes at him and got up, yanking my shirt down where it had ridden up during the night. Then I stalked past the impossible large man taking up all the space on my bed, and made my way to the bathroom.

When I’d finished cleaning myself up, I made my way back out to the bedroom, only to find Gage sitting up and leaning against my headboard. His eyes flashed my way and I was stricken with the image of those stormy ocean orbs in my dream.

I ignored the hot flush of arousal that coursed through my veins and instead made my way to the bed. I managed to sit at the foot, my eyes on Gage the whole time.

I didn’t know how to approach this situation. Before last night, Gage had treated me as someone to be held at arms-length. But after I called him last night, in distress, something inside me had snapped.

Every single emotion I had felt for him in the last ten years had rushed back into my system, and their potent had increased ten-fold. And yet, Gage was still as stoic as marble. I had no idea what was going through his head.

I didn’t know what he wanted, or why he rushed home to comfort me. And I certainly didn’t know how we’d ended up in each other’s arms last night.

That last thought was enough to having me blushing into next week. I really only just registered that I’d spent an entire night in his embrace.

And now I didn’t know how to start our conversation, so I just let our awkward silence settle. I was staring at my hands in my lap, but I could feel his gaze on me.

It hadn’t moved since I’d walked into the room. I don’t even really know if he had blinked. The force of his gaze was so intense, and I didn’t have a single clue as to what it might mean.

Gage Emerson was an enigma.

I would never know what he was thinking.

When I finally looked up, he had his arms crossed over his large chest. His hard gaze was latched onto me like a bee to a flower.

A part of me wondered if he regretted our actions last night.

I hoped he didn’t. But I feared he did.

Eventually, Gage was the first to break our silence.

“Are you okay?” He asked. I stared into his eyes and regarded his question. _Was I okay?_ My best friend was kidnapped and I’d been stalked to no end.

And the man sitting across from me was too mouthwatering for his own good, and I wanted to crawl inside his arms and lay there forever. But his stubborn nature would never let me figure out what was going on inside his head.

“No,” I finally answered, after two minutes of contemplation. Gage raised one eyebrow at me, questioning me further, but I ignored it. I didn’t want to talk about my fit of tears last night.

“Did I interrupt anything important yesterday?” I asked, changing the subject. Gage’s eyes hardened as he regarded my question.

He finally shook his head. “No, I was finished anyway,” he said, finally looking away from me. I frowned. What had he been doing yesterday that he wanted to be vague about?

When neither of us said anything, he lifted his eyes to meet mine again. “I was following up on the florist van from the night of your crash,” he mumbled. My eyebrows shot to my forehead. Then I frowned.

“I thought that their story checked out?”

Gage shrugged. “I assumed it did, but I had to make sure, especially since along with those messages you’ve been receiving an alarming number of white roses,” he admitted.

My mouth fell open in shock. I hadn’t even thought of that. “So, what did they say?”

Gage shrugged. “Their van might’ve checked out, but whoever is sending you those flowers, definitely went through this particular florist. They let me see their books for the past two months and I was able to write down the billing addresses for every person who ordered white roses in that time frame.”

I nodded.

“I was actually just leaving and getting back on my bike when you called,” he admitted. “I was planning to follow up on those addresses today, but if you need someone here…” he trailed off.

I looked up and caught his eye. I shook my head. “I’m fine. I don’t need a babysitter.”

Gage cocked his head at me like he was mocking me. “I’m not suggesting a babysitter, Coraline. I’m not claiming to be your keeper. I just didn’t want to leave you if you were feeling unstable.”

That shut me up. I needed to stop assuming that everyone was out to treat me like a child. A soft smile pulled itself across my lips before shaking my head again.

“Oh… Well, I really am fine on my own. You don’t have to stay with me.”

Gage paused. “You’re sure?”

I nodded and gave him a small smile. He eventually nodded and got up off the bed. I watched him walk to the door. He swung it open but I called his name before he could leave.

“Gage,” I said, my voice breathy. He paused, his hand on my door frame, before turning and catching my eye.

He raised an eyebrow in question.

“Uhm… I just wanted to say thank you,” I mumbled. Gage frowned and moved to walk back into the room, but I held up a finger to stop him.

“You didn’t have to comfort me last night, but… I’m glad you did,” I admitted. I watched as Gage lowered his shoulders. He looked at the ground but didn’t say anything. I watched him prepare to leave again so I stopped him.

“Uhhh, and I was wondering if you could do something for me?” I asked. Gage raised his eyebrow in question. I wrung my hands together in my lap, indecision wracking through me.

“Can you check all the apartments of the girls who were kidnapped?” I asked. Gage frowned, a question flicking through his eyes and I waved my hand. “Just for my peace of mind. If they all have messages like the one I found at Roz’s then maybe they don’t really have any leads on who is most important to me.”

Gage nodded and kept frowning. He gave me an odd look. “You sure you’re okay?” he asked. “I can get Luna over here…”

I shook my head and waved my hand. “No, I’m fine. I’ve got Bullet,” I said as I ran my hand through the dog’s fur. He had been lying on the bed with us. “I just… I just need everything checked out. I just want to find them and this might help,” I said.

Gage nodded before giving me one last look. Then he turned and left the room, allowing my lungs to finally fill with a deep breath. I don’t know if I was relieved that the tension between us was released, or if I was craving that breathless feeling.

I could feel my cheeks redden as I remembered the dream I’d woken up from. As I listened to Gage’s bike flee the driveway, I rolled over in my bed and reached for the table beside my bed. I opened the top draw and pulled out my sketchbook.

I was going to need something to pass the time if I was going to be stuck here.

.

**We’re all sinners here :P**


	18. 17

**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN**

**Coraline**

My chest constricted with heavy breaths as Bullet and I made our way up the trail. Despite Lucas and Gage’s insane protective streaks, they had agreed to let me do my daily exercise. So, Bullet and I were on our morning run through Dove Trails.

The only exception that Gage had given me was that I had to carry my new firearm with me. I was annoyed about it, but didn’t fight him on it.

I knew he was just worried for my safety. He had been particularly on edge since I’d had my meltdown. I sighed as I tried to push Gage from my mind.

He had been acting so weird since the night we’d slept in the same bed. I mean, before that night, he had been characteristically distant and quiet. But now, he was protective and more present than I’d come to know him to be.

I was barely left alone anymore. He was in the room when I watched television, and was in the room when I cooked dinner. The only times I was alone was on these morning runs, and when I was using the bathroom.

I wasn’t totally convinced that I was alone when sleeping, because I’d had a dream that felt so real the other night. I’d dreamt that Gage had come into my room, slid under the covers and pulled me into his warm chest to sleep. I’d even dreamt that he kissed me on the forehead to help me sleep.

I knew it wasn’t real, but I was devastated at the niggling feeling inside me that craved for it to become my reality. The more time that I spent with Gage, the more I was convincing myself that he was who I wanted to be with.

But I knew that Gage wasn’t ready for that kind of thing. Whatever had happened while he was overseas had changed him. And I was almost positive that Gage had a little bit of PTSD. I could see it in the way he tensed if I walked into a room when he was alone.

I had tried to announce my presence by making louder footsteps or by ‘accidentally’ knocking into doorways before I walked into a room.

I wanted to accommodate him in any way that I could. I wanted to show him that I could be someone he could relax around. I wanted to show him that I was more considerate than I’d let on.

My breath huffed out as Bullet pulled me up a particularly steep slope. We were close to the summit of the trails and I was completely ready to throw myself onto a park bench and cool down.

When we finally made it up, I was practically wheezing. I had no idea why this hike was hard on that specific morning, so I just put my hands on my knees and took a breather. Bullet nudged my arm and directed me over towards a vacant seat.

I huffed out a breath as I looked out at the view. Up this high, I could see every part of Okeechobee. I could see the strip mall and the compound. I could make out the part of downtown that housed Luna’s tattoo parlor and Jax’s workshop. I could see the gravel road that led to The Gallows, and the shady part of town where Roz had worked.

I could see absolutely everything. If I squinted, I could even make out Gage’s house. I rested my hand on Bullet’s head, stroking his fur as he sat beside me. The view was so beautiful and so undisturbed at this hour that I decided I wanted to stay a while.

After five minutes of sitting alone, I heard something crack behind me, like someone had stepped on a twig. My whole body immediately tensed. I was completely frozen. I looked towards Bullet, whose ears were pricked and pointed straight into the air.

He had heard it too.

So, that meant I hadn’t imagined it out of paranoia.

_Great_.

I tried to listen behind me, to hear anything else suspicious. The back of my head felt warm, like I had eyes on me. I was so unbelievably tense, I probably could have pushed out a diamond.

I reached into the waistband of my leggings, where I knew I’d placed Gage’s Glock. I didn’t want to have to use it, and hated that I’d become accustomed to carrying it around.

I had never liked having to walk around while packing heat. Not only were they uncomfortable, but there was hardly any place to conceal them. Even now, when I had this gun in my waist band, it was nowhere near concealed, and if a cop were to pull me up, I’d go into holding just for carrying without a permit.

I sighed.

I was probably just being paranoid.

I got up from my seat, taking the gun from my waistband and cocking it just in case. Then I began to make my way down the trails with Bullet. I tried to speed up my pace a little bit so that I could get to Gage’s truck faster.

I tried to be nonchalant, but it’s not really so easy when you’re holding a dog leash in one hand, and a gun in the other.

And in plain sight.

I gave my surroundings a quick scan, trying to notice anything – or anyone – out of place. Then I reached into my bra and pulled out my phone. I dialed for Gage and luckily, he picked up on the first ring.

_“Coraline?”_

“Gage,” I said, trying to keep my voice low. “I think someone is following me right now,” I whispered.

There was silence on the other end of the line. _“Where are you?”_ he finally asked.

“I’m making my way to the carpark at the bottom of Dove Trails right now. I’m carrying and I have Bullet with me.”

Gage didn’t answer me but I could hear sounds in the background of our call. If I had to guess, he was shrugging on his cut. My suspicions were confirmed when I heard the front door lock and then him get into the seat of his bike.

_“I’ll be there in three minutes,”_ Gage muttered. _“Lock yourself in the truck but don’t go anywhere.”_

I nodded before realizing that he couldn’t see me. “Okay, yeah. Please hurry. I don’t feel safe here, it’s really exposed.”

I could practically feel Gage rolling his eyes. _“Beginning to understand why I didn’t want you walking up there?”_ he said. I scowled.

“Really?” I said, my voice exasperated, “We’re doing this? Now?”

Gage sighed audibly on the other end before I heard his engine start with a guttural tone. _“Three minutes,”_ he said, then the call dropped and I placed my phone back into my bra.

I picked up my pace a little, finally making it to the entrance of the trails. I eyed Gage’s truck. There were only two other cars in the lot – a small hatchback in the far of the lot, and a white van that was sat only yards from my truck.

I huffed a deep breath and tried not to let my imagination run wild. It was probably just a coincidence that this creepy white van was in this lot. I eyed the van a little closer, noticing that it didn’t appear to have any plates. That just made it all the more creepy.

I tried walking towards my truck, but when I was halfway there, I heard a shout, and suddenly the side door to the van was pulled open and two large men wearing black head to toe, with matching face masks, rushed from the van.

I stifled the squeal that wanted to escape my lips, and instead held up my Glock. Bullet was barking like crazy and was practically jumping for me to let go of his lead.

The two men began advancing, trying to get towards me, so I let go of Bullet and watched as he charged at one of the men. Neither of them had guns, from what I could tell, but they might have been waiting for me to shoot first.

I watched from the corner of my eye as Bullet chased the man, latching onto his forearm and bringing him down. I heard the man yelp in pain as Bullet sunk his teeth deeper into his skin. Then my head snapped back to the other man.

I held my gun with two hands, eyeing him. It had been a long time since I’d shot a gun, but I definitely wasn’t afraid to use it.

“Freeze, or I’ll shoot,” I yelled at the man. I cursed when he didn’t listen to me. He acted like he hadn’t even heard me speak. Instead he just kept advancing.

I aimed for his heart and let my finger press over the trigger. I yelled as the bullet let fly. I cursed when I realized I’d missed his chest. I was definitely out of practice.

My attacker yelped as he held his bicep, where my bullet had embedded itself. I kept my gun steady, waiting for him to rush at me. In my experience, you could be distracted by the pain of a bullet in your arm if your adrenaline was pumping hard enough. It was only a matter of time before my attacker ignored his injury and came after me again.

My eyes quipped towards Bullet, watching as the second man managed to pry the dog away from him. With one swift kick, he sent the poor pup flying. I watched in horror as Bullet fell against the ground. Even from where I was standing, I could tell that at least one of his bones was probably broken.

It was now two against one. I was a goner, for sure.

Where the hell was Gage?

I cursed under my breath as I tried to keep my eye on both men. The one I had shot was slowly getting up, still cradling his bicep. The second man had ripped the bottom of his shirt and was wrapping it haphazardly around his forearm where Bullet had bitten him.

The skin was torn and I could’ve sworn I saw bone.

My eyebrows creased as I noticed that the man’s skin was a russet brown color.

Before I had a chance to turn my gun on the second man, I heard a bike roaring into the lot. Both men turned to see Gage discarding his bike and holding up two nine-millimeters. He aimed them both and began firing. The two attackers began to scramble, trying to dodge the bullets.

Gage yelled something to me and I turned in time to notice the man I’d shot trying to grab at me. I aimed my gun at him and fired, missing and watching as the bullet whizzed past his head.

I cursed before aiming lower and managing to shoot the man in the foot. He went down like a log. I turned around and saw that Gage had shoved his guns into the back of his waistband before he tackled the second man. They were both throwing punches and I wanted to help, but didn’t know how.

Eventually, the second man managed to sock Gage in the face, before kicking him off his body. The man then got up and ran for his van. He guns the engine and begins to swing the van around. Gage gets up and runs for his dog, managing to move him out of the way before the van runs him over.

I could only watch in horror as the van began coming for me. I dove out of the way before I watched the door swing open. The man I had shot twice hauled himself into the van and slammed the door. I got up and shot as many times as I could, into the van. I was aiming for the tires, or the gas line, anything.

But it didn’t really make much difference. All I really did was blow a hole in their back window. It didn’t even shatter.

When the men had driven out of sight, and I’d officially run out of ammunition, I ran towards Gage. He was cradled over his dog and I wanted to cry at the sight of Bullet.

Nothing looked damaged specifically, but he was covered in blood. I noticed that his ear had been torn open. Gage gave me a grave look.

“I have to go after those men,” he said. I nodded.

“I’ll uhm… I’ll handle this. I’ll take Bullet to the vet,” I managed to choke out. Gage nodded, picking up his dog and placing him in the passenger seat of his truck.

“Take care of him,” Gage said gravely as he eyed me. I nodded.

“Of course,” I said hurriedly, “Now go, before you lose them.”

Gage nodded, his eyebrows creasing. His hand reached up and caressed my face, his palm splayed across my ear and hair. His thumb caressed my cheek down to the corner of my lip.

“Get the vet to check that out while you’re there,” he said, “You don’t want it to get infected.”

I frowned before eyeing myself in the truck’s window reflection. There was a gash above my eyebrow. I turned back to Gage and nodded.

He paused, then nodded once more. Then I watched as he stalked back to his bike, hauling it up from where it had fallen over. He slung his leg over the side, then gunned the engine and sped out of the lot.

My eyebrows furrowed as I watched him go, then I got myself into the truck and started the engine. I pulled out my phone and dialed for my brother. I didn’t give him a chance to speak when he picked up.

“Lou, Gage needs backup. I was just cornered at the base of Dove Trails. Gage is tailing the guys right now, they’re in a white van with no plates and he needs more man power,” I said, rushing my words.

Lucas let out a string of curse words. _“We’ll track his phone. Where are you right now?”_ he asked, _“Are you safe?”_

“I’m fine,” I huffed, “I’ve got to take Bullet to the vet, he got hurt in the attack.”

_“Alright. I’ll grab Viper, Reaper and Sticks and we’ll head out. This shit ends now.”_

I nodded. “You need to catch them. I’d bet my left arm that these guys took Roz and the girls,” I said.

Lucas cursed and then I could hear him yelling instructions to the other guys. I then heard people speeding away on bikes.

_“We’re on it,”_ Lucas gritted. _“Get to the vet, stay safe. I’m sending Luna to be with you.”_

I nodded and then the call was dropped. Then I pulled the truck out of the lot and sped towards the vet.

.

I sighed as I rested my hand on Bullet’s shank. He was lying in a kennel on the floor of the veterinarian’s office, surrounded by blankets. He even had his favorite toy – a small stuffed giraffe – cuddled into his side. Luna had been kind enough to swing by the house and pick it up for the poor pup.

It had been a few hours since the ordeal at Dove Trails, and I had yet to hear anything from any of the other members. I pouted as I looked down at Bullet’s sleeping face. He was hooked up to an IV.

His ear was patched up from where it had been torn open. He was sporting three stitches thanks to the vet. After having run countless other x-rays, thankfully he determined that Bullet didn’t have any other injuries apart from some minor bruising.

He had also been kind enough to clean up the cut on my eyebrow, off the books. He swabbed me with some antiseptic and applied some kind of cream before covering it with a bandage patch.

I hadn’t seen it in the mirror, but I knew it wouldn’t have been pretty.

There were no chairs in the room, so I was sat beside the poor dog, on the floor.

“You were so brave today, buddy,” I whispered to him. I knew he couldn’t hear me, but it comforted me to talk to him. He was a good dog, and I would’ve hated myself if something had happened to him and it had been my fault.

I had sent Luna home a few hours ago, I just wanted to be alone with Bullet for the time being. But I was going out of my mind with worry for Gage and Lucas.

Gage had been so open and considerate of my choices as of late, and I hated that my decision to go to Dove Trails had been stupid and landed us in this situation. I ran a hand down my face and closed my eyes as I tried to ignore all the niggling feelings coursing through me.

When I opened my eyes, I almost jumped out my skin.

“Shit,” I cursed, my hand flying to my heart. “You scared the crap out of me.” My voice was breathless.

Gage raised an eyebrow at me, his mouth downturned and showing me just how tired he was. He was leaning against the doorframe of the office. I did a quick scan of his body, assessing whatever damage that might’ve been done to him on the ride.

“What happened?” I asked. Gage winced as he moved inside the room. He leant his back on the wall and slid down until he was sitting. I moved out of the way so that he could be near his dog. He reached a hand out and pet Bullet for a while before answering me.

“We caught up to them, out on the highway,” Gage said, his voice rough. “Then they took off the side. The van flipped and burst into flames before we could I.D. the two guys.”

I sighed. “Shit,” I said, under my breath. Gage gave me a small nod.

“Cops showed up. I was at the station until just now. They couldn’t charge any of us for anything, and the fire will have covered up the bullet wounds from your gun, so that won’t trace back to you,” he said. I nodded.

“So, what happens now?” I asked. Gage winced as he tried shrugging.

“We have to wait for dental records to come back to find out who they are. But, the cops won’t let us see those so we’ll have to get someone on the inside to leak them to us,” he said. “As for the guys, I’d say they’re not the ones in charge of whatever this operation is. They didn’t seem smart enough to pull off a kidnapping. My guess is that they were hired for the job, and whoever is behind all this shit is still out there.”

My breath hitched and Gage watched me, his eyes careful. He placed his hand over mine, forcing my eyes to meet his.

“We’re going to keep you safe, Coraline,” he said. I nodded before casting my eyes back away. I looked down at Bullet, focusing on his sleeping features to calm myself.

After a few minutes of silence, Gage spoke again. “What’s his diagnosis?” he asked. I sighed.

“He’s a fighter,” I chuckled, a small smile lifting my lips. “Three stitches in his ear and some bruising around his midsection. Nothing major. Scans and x-rays came back clear for broken bones.”

Gage nodded, continuing to stroke Bullet’s fur. We sat in silence again. I began counting the seconds in my head to pass time.

Fifteen-hundred seconds later, I looked back up, only to find that Gage had his eyes closed and his head was leant back on the wall. His mouth was set into a hard line, but his eyebrows were relaxed.

He had fallen asleep. He must’ve been exhausted.

I tried to get up as quietly as I could, then rummaged around the office until I could find a blanket. I managed to find something, but it was incredibly small. I walked back to Gage and lay it over his lap. There was no way it was going to stretch over his gigantic frame but at least it was better than nothing.

Then I sat myself down beside him and leant my head on his bicep because I couldn’t quite reach his shoulder. I took his hand in mine and twined our fingers together before letting my mind wander again.

In his sleep, his hand gripped mine tighter and I allowed myself a small smile.

Whatever he thought about me, or however he felt about me; those emotions were strong. I smiled to myself as I pressed my face into his arm and closed my eyes, allowing myself to drift in and out of sleep.

.


	19. 18

**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN**

**Coraline**

I practically cursed under my breath as I walked through the employee entrance of The Gallows. It was my first ‘night out’ in so long, because I’d been under watch by a band of idiot bikers.

They didn’t let me do anything and I had been going out of my mind.

Gage wasn’t happy with the idea of me leaving the safety of his house, but in all honesty, I couldn’t give a flying shit what he wanted me to do. I wasn’t the kind of person who would sit on her hands and let other people make her decisions.

He had tried to argue that my last ‘outing’ hadn’t gone to plan, and so was the perfect example of why I should stay home…

But I had basically told him to shove it.

Anyone who was stupid enough to storm a bar chock full of armed Wolves wasn’t making it out alive. And so, I had managed to convince him and my overprotective brother that doing one shift behind the bar wouldn’t end my life.

Their compromise was that they had eyes on me, twenty-four-seven. And I guess I was okay with that. I didn’t have the wiggle room to ask for much more.

Not that I was counting on being kidnapped at every passing moment under the sun, but due to the fact that the appearances and messages from said abductees was steadily increasing, it didn’t hurt to have people looking out for me.

Jax grinned at me as bumped my hip along to the beat of Lil’ Pump’s _I Love It_ that was currently blasting through the speakers of the bar. I cringed. The song was basic enough, and the video was comical, but after hearing it three times in the past hour, I was definitely over it.

I flipped my hair over my shoulder, grunting under my breath as I put down the glasses I was holding. I had made a decision at the beginning of the night to leave it down, because I received more tips that way, but now it was an inconvenience.

My hair was long enough that the ends of my waves brushed against the rise of my ass, so I decided to braid it. I walked into the back room behind the bar and allowed myself five minutes to fix it up. I French braided the top, down to my neck, and then continued it into a simple Pocahontas braid. When I was finished, I draped it over my shoulder and walked back outside.

My hulking brother was sitting at the bar when I arrived, complete with a hostile scowl on his face. I rolled my eyes quickly before sending him a condescending smile. Lucas sent me one right back before flipping me off.

I stuck my tongue out and made two fists, knocking them together twice. Lucas rolled his eyes at my reference before getting out of his chair and walking away. I picked up the glasses from before and began lining them up for shots. When I looked back up, a pair of sea green eyes were staring down at me.

I tensed unwillingly, feeling his eyes on my every move as he sat, stock still, in the chair previously occupied by my asshole sibling. Without him asking, I filled a schooner with one of the beers on tap and placed it in front of him. He raised his eyebrow at me and I shrugged. Gage nodded, then proceeded to pick up the glass and let the liquid glide down his throat in two gulps.

I raised an eyebrow at him with a smirk and he rolled his eyes slightly. Then he focused his gaze on my braid. I followed his line of sight before snapping my eyes back up to his.

“What?”

Gage shrugged, a non-descript expression on his face. “Just never seen you wear it that way,” he admitted. “Looks nice.” Then he picked up his glass, that I had just refilled, and walked away with it, leaving me confused and a little dazed.

“Tapped that yet?” Luna chimed. My eyes shifted to the woman beside me and I scoffed.

“What makes you think I would?”

Luna just smirked at me. “Cora, baby, everyone in the room can see how much you two want each other. This game of chicken and teasing that you two are playing…” she trailed off, “Is it some kind of weird foreplay?”

I frowned at her, laughing. “What the hell are you talking about?”

Luna grinned. “You know? Like, are you guys holding off because it’s all about the chase, or…?”

I rolled my eyes. “You’re out of your mind. No one’s chasing anyone.”

Luna just scoffed, placing a hand on her hip. It was obvious she didn’t believe me. But it was the truth, as much as I wanted Gage, he seemed to have some kind of hang-up when it came to me.”

“Then how do you explain the sexual tension between you two? And all the secret little glances? And, how do you explain the whole ‘having a conversation with your eyes and not actually saying anything’ thing?”

I rolled my eyes. “You’re looking too far into this,” I said. “I think you just want something to happen so badly, that you’re projecting, and making a mountain out of an anthill.”

Luna sighed. “Well, Cory, I don’t know what to tell you. You seem blind to everything and I’m definitely not projecting. I know soulmates when I see them.”

I laughed. “You’ve just been reading too many romance novels.”

Luna grinned. “You know, that might be true, but I’m also not stupid.”

“Yeah, just an optimist.”

“Cory, I’m serious. Just, even as a favor to me, just dip your toe in that pool a little bit,” she said, giving me a pointed stare. “I can see the way you two look at each other when the other one isn’t. I know you want him, so just, I don’t know. Just flirt a little and see where it goes… you might surprise yourself.”

I rolled my eyes but, just to shut her up, agreed to her proposition. She didn’t know that I’d been flirting for months and been receiving dead silence in return. Gage just, wasn’t interested, or at least was interested, but something was going on in his head that told him not to go there.

That’s what I’d had to keep telling myself. Otherwise, I couldn’t explain his want to protect me, or his overbearing nature. I couldn’t explain why he’d shown up to every moment I was in crisis. I couldn’t explain why he’d let me stay in his home the first time.

And I definitely couldn’t explain why I slept so much better in his company.

Gage was an enigma. A brooding, suffer-in-silence, don’t-ever-know-what-you’re-thinking enigma. And I don’t think I’d ever felt stronger for someone.

I don’t think I had ever wanted someone more than I wanted Gage. I couldn’t figure out whether my want for him was sexual, or something more. I didn’t know if I was attracted to him simply because he made it a point to deny me that kind of attention, or because he embodied the idea of a stronger emotional attachment.

He had grown up so much since I’d known him in high-school, and I didn’t know if he felt like a stranger, or a missing limb. His presence both unsettled me and comforted me.

I think it was simply that fact that I was so unsure of his character, and his wants and needs and whatever the hell went on inside his head, that attracted me.

His air of complete mystery had me biting at his heels, demanding to know more.

Gage was almost untouchable, and it was his pure animosity that I was craving.

I excused myself from the bar, waving down Linc to take over my shift. I needed a moment to myself, and it seemed that the bathroom might offer me a moment of privacy and silence that was definitely necessary in this ear-bleeding environment.

I locked myself inside a stall, sitting on the closed lid of the bowl and allowing myself a second to think. With everything that had happened in the past weeks, basically since Gage came back from his service, my entire world sphere had imploded.

The club had dealt with shit before, mountains of shit that I thought might have had the power to break the brothers; but this…

Whoever was doing these things, taking our women… trying to take _me_ … this was somehow next level. The club dealt in dangerous activities like drugs and weapons, and this whole abduction scheme was way out of everyone’s comfort zone.

The precision of every attack was calculated, and so perfectly structured, it was almost like they knew where people would be and when…

These people had more dirt on the club than anyone had ever. They knew people’s habits and routines, it was almost like… they had someone on the inside…

I gasped as the reality hit me. Was it possible that there was a rat inside the club?

_But for what reason?_

What the hell kind of gain would anyone have from inside the club. Especially at this time? The DireWolves hadn’t had serious beef with anyone in years. We were on ‘good’ terms with the _Diablos_ , and a few other clubs in the surrounding counties.

All of the narcotic cartels were satisfied with the club’s outward legitimacy, and were satisfied with our ability to charter whatever was needed. Relations with all of the club’s weapon’s partners had never been in better shape.

Who in the club could possibly stand to gain from any of the attacks in the last two months?

I quickly got up from my seat and washed my hands, despite not having done anything in the bathroom except have an existential crisis. Then I flung open the door and rushed from the room. I needed to warn Lucas of my realization.

He needed to be considering that there was a rat amongst his brothers. I made it two steps from the bathroom before an arm enveloped me around the waist and a hand came across my mouth. My eyes bugged out and I immediately began to panic.

I, for the millionth time, cursed my tiny size as I was picked up as if I weighed nothing, and began being dragged down the hallway. I was screaming behind the hand over my mouth.

Whoever this person was definitely hadn’t washed _their_ hands. They smelt like cheese and that made me want to throw up. As I was jostled, the hand on my mouth slipped slightly and I was able to bite down into one of his beefy fingers.

I used my other arm to elbow my attacker in the stomach. They let out a cry and my suspicions were confirmed, he was a man. There was no longer a hand on my mouth so I let out a chortling scream. His arms were still wrapped around my waist as he tried to yank me into the back alley.

Then, a scene from _Miss Congeniality_ spread through my mind. I figured I had nothing better to do than try Sandra Bullock’s S.I.N.G. technique. I managed to slam one of my heels into the man’s foot, and as he fell forward, I elbowed him in the nose.

He cursed as his hands let me go and he went to cup his face. I quickly turned around and kicked him where the sun don’t shine, making him double over. He was quick to recover, though, and as I took two steps back, he made out to grab me again.

My hand flung out and I punched him in the throat, making his Adams apple bob as he choked on air, then I kicked him in his kneecap.

This was what truly did him in, I think I heard one of them shatter under the force of my stilettos. Girls, for future reference, a shattered kneecap means they can’t run after you. If you only go for the groin, their adrenaline can make them ignore the pain in their dicks and come at you again.

Then I saw my chance. I sprinted from the back hallway and made my way out into the club. Gage was shouldering his way through the crowd at the sight of me. I fell into his arms, noticing Jax and Lucas right behind him.

“Some guy tried to kidnap me,” I yelled breathlessly, trying to be heard over the pounding club music. Jax and Lucas immediately sprung into action and chased down the hallway, Gage just tightened his grip on me.

I realized that he had one hand on my waist and the other on my upper arm. He was gripping both so hard I feared he’d leave bruises. I had my own hands splayed out over his chest. I looked up to find him glaring down at me.

He refused to look in my eyes, though. His gaze was roaming and I realized he was scanning my body for any kind of damage. I clenched my hand, fisting the material of his t-shirt, and making his eyes look into mine.

“I’m fine,” I said. “I fought back and got away.”

Gage’s gaze only narrowed and his hand reached up to my face. He wiped under my left eye and only then did I realize that I had been crying. He stared at the wetness on his finger before he suddenly whipped me around. His grip on my arm became like a vice as he began dragging me through the crowd. Then he pulled me out the front door and began shouldering me towards his truck.

I was thrust into the passenger seat when he ripped open the door. Then I was shoved on my ass before the door slammed behind me. I glared at Gage, knowing he hadn’t meant to be rough, and that he was preoccupied with the danger I was in.

Gage then got into the drivers seat and punched the gas. I watched as Lucas and Jax came running out the entrance of The Gallows, followed by Linc, and various members and prospects. Lucas yelled something I couldn’t hear and they all sped away on bikes, chasing whoever had tried to grab me.

Gage then sped out of the lot and before I knew it, I was being rushed through the front door of his house. He was gripping his hair and his phone was pressed against his ear, giving a series of grunts to whoever was on the receiving end.

When he hung up, he threw the phone onto the couch and motioned for me to sit. I obliged, knowing I was about to get scolded like a child.

But it never came. Gage was silent as he threw himself onto the ottoman.

“Talon will be here in two,” he muttered. I scowled. If Gage wasn’t going to yell, Lucas sure would. “I need you to tell me everything before he gets here,” he said, his voice low, but his eyes dangerous and unmoving.

I sighed but did as he asked. “I went to the bathroom and was thinking about how these attacks aren’t random. They’re calculated and worked out. They make sure there are no witnesses and their information is more concrete than what someone would uncover just from following one of us,” I said.

Gage nodded, his eyebrows beginning to furrow. I continued.

“I had the idea that there might be a rat in the club. I don’t know who and I don’t know why, but I think the idea is worth investigating. When I left the bathroom, I was coming to tell you and Lucas, then the guy grabbed me from behind. I bit his hand and elbowed his stomach, then stood on his foot and punched him in the nose, kicked him in the dick, then shattered his kneecap and got the hell out of there.”

Gage was shaking his head. “A rat?” he asked, his voice was unsure.

I nodded and Gage sighed, running a hand down his face.

“Where did Jax and Linc go?” I asked. Gage glared at the ground.

“Whoever it was escaped out the back door before they got there and drove off in a white van,” he said. I had no time to respond, because then the front door burst open and Lucas stormed inside with Luna quick to follow him. Luna immediately rushed to my side and hugged me.

“Shit, Cor, I’m so glad you’re safe. We shut down the bar for the night after you left.”

I nodded into her hug, embracing her before pulling her down beside me. When I looked up again, Lucas was glaring at me.

“What the _fuck_ was that, Coraline?”

I scowled and Luna gripped my hand. Of course, he would somehow make this out to be my fault.

“Do you think I fucking asked for this, asshole?” I told Lucas. “I went to the bathroom and was almost kidnapped. I would say that this situation is the complete opposite of being my fault. Get your head of your ass.”

Lucas took a step forward but Gage stood up and held him back. I stood up and crossed my arms over my chest, glaring at my brother.

“Why the hell wouldn’t you ask for someone to escort you? You’ve known you were in danger of this since that fucking incident at Dove Trails. Are you out of your fucking mind, Coraline? Do you _want_ to be taken?”

I scoffed. I wanted to slap him for being an idiot. “Sue me for not asking for fucking protection while I went to _relieve myself_ , I didn’t think anyone would be stupid enough to try and kidnap a girl in a bar full of fucking outlaw bikers!”

“That’s right, you didn’t think. You never fucking think, Coraline, this is the problem. You’re too fucking confident and it’s going to get you fucking killed.”

This time I couldn’t help myself, I walked up to Lucas and slapped him across the face. “How _dare_ you,” I said, my voice low and menacing. “How dare you tell me how to fucking act in this fucking situation. You have absolutely no idea what it’s been like to be me these past two months. Sue me for deciding I was sick of living in fear, and sick of fucking hiding while you and your _dogs_ sit back on your fucking haunches, drinking beer and getting high while _my_ best friend is still out there somewhere, probably near dead.

“Yes, I made the decision to work tonight, only because I’m sick of being locked up like some kind of wounded animal. You’ve been treating me like I’m useless, and like I’m five and still need Daddy’s protection. Well you know what, _Prez?_ I’m fucking over it. You and your pack of mutts have sat back and made absolutely no progress on finding Roz and the others. Sue me for wanting to find out whether my best friend has been fucking murdered while your _brothers_ have been too busy getting their dicks sucked.”

I didn’t give him a chance to respond, instead choosing to storm upstairs and slam my bedroom door. If Lucas was going to treat me like a child, then I felt I had the right to act like one, door slamming included.

Within five minutes I heard the unmistakable roar of my brother’s Harley speed out of the driveway, no doubt with Luna on the back as well. I sighed and buried my head in my pillow, letting myself scream into the void.

After a while of me sitting in the dark, there was a knock on my door. It then opened wide, allowing Gage to hulk in the doorway. I raised my eyebrow at him and he stared down at me.

“We’re getting out of here for a while,” he said, “Pack a bag, we’re leaving tonight.”

I frowned. “Where are we going?” I didn’t want to hide out in some rundown hotel room.

Gage shrugged. “I convinced Talon that I’d be able to protect you by myself. I have some property under other names in Miami so no one will be able to find us. Talon is the only other person who knows where it is.”

I frowned but nodded at Gage. “Okay, I’ll pack.”

Gage gave me one nod and moved to close the door. “We leave in ten,” he muttered before the door clicked shut. I sighed and fell back onto my pillows, allowing myself a slow count to ten before I pulled myself up and began throwing shit into a bag.

.

**Change of scenery, anyone?**

**Also, tell me your theories about who these random kidnappers are, and who you think the rat could be…**


	20. 19

**CHAPTER NINETEEN**

**Coraline**

The air between Gage and myself had been dead silent on our drive last night. From the moment I’d slammed the passenger door of his truck to the moment I opened it right back up again two hours and thirty minutes later, neither of us had spoken a word.

I hadn’t allowed myself time to appreciate the safe house, because as soon as he unlocked the front door, Gage directed me towards a bedroom and it was there that I locked myself in and fell asleep.

But the next morning was a different story. Having not closed the blackout curtains the night before, I was woken in the early hours of the morning by harsh sunlight streaming down onto my face.

I rubbed my eyes thoroughly before sitting up straight and finally admiring my surroundings. The room that I had claimed as my own had white walls and a sandy colored wood panel flooring. The bed was large and white, with cerulean accent pillows that I had thrown haphazardly on the floor when I’d gone to sleep the night before.

The bedroom had three normal walls, and the fourth was completely glass, and was overlooking a private beach. It was beautiful. Through a door was a small wardrobe and a medium sized bathroom.

I got myself out of bed and quickly made the covers back up. After hurriedly getting dressed I made my way out to the rest of the house, wanting to explore. But my plans were interrupted, as the moment I opened my bedroom door, the aroma of fresh breakfast wafted towards me.

My mouth practically watered and I followed the smell through to a large, galley style kitchen. The benchtop was the same color as the wood floor, and Gage stood at the stove top.

His back was facing me, allowing me to see the speckle of scars across his shoulder blades, then the tattoos that wound down his arms and stopped abruptly over his shoulders, refusing to curl any further. The waistband of his riding jeans was slung low on his hips, allowing me to see the small indents in his back.

I watched the muscles in his back roll with his short movements as he worked. His stance was casual.

I tore my eyes away from his shirtless figure, trying not to get any more distracted than I already was. I watched him tense as he realized I was in the room, before going back to his dish. I sat myself at one of the bar stools and waited for him to speak.

When he didn’t, I rolled my eyes and looked around the rest of the space. The kitchen opened into a small living space, with a comfy looking grey couch facing a large flat screen. The living room led onto a balcony that looked out over the beach.

From what I could tell, the place was only one level. There was my bedroom on one end of the house, the kitchen and living room in the middle, and then Gage’s room on the other end.

It was a simple house, with simple furnishings, and I hated to admit that I loved it. I heard the stove turn off and Gage plated whatever it was he was cooking. Then he turned, allowing me the perfect view of the healthy sprinkling of black hair on his chest. It matched the small amount of scruff that dotted his jawline. I averted my eyes, looking up to his face as he set down an omelet in front of me.

He handed me a fork and I thanked him with a nod. Then he turned and walked into his bedroom, letting the door click softly shut behind him. I rolled my eyes with a sigh and picked up my plate before I walked out to the balcony.

When I opened the door, I was met with the heat of the Miami sun, but also the light breeze that was rolling in with the sea. I smiled as I breathed in the salt spray and sat down in one of the armchairs outside.

I dug into my omelet and almost moaned at the flavors that exploded in my mouth on my first bite. I tasted egg and tomato and chives, possibly spinach, and a hint of bacon. I knew Gage could cook, but this was next level.

I sat in silence as I made my way through my meal, completely satisfied in that moment. My stomach gave a small gurgle of appreciation when I finished. I reclined in my seat with a small smile on my face. Then I heard the glass door slide open behind me.

I gave Gage a thankful smile as he sat down with his own breakfast. He was now wearing a black V-neck, but his tattoos were still on display. They ran down his arms like beautifully painted canvas. I sat in silence as he ate, completely contempt to watch the waves roll into the sand and be carried back out again. I ran a hand through my hair, noting that it probably was in need of a wash, before hearing a sharp tone ring through the air.

I furrowed my eyebrows as I turned to Gage, only to see he had his phone open and was reading whatever message he’d just been sent. He sighed and put it in his back pocket before turning to look at me.

“I have to go out for a few hours. I have to sort something out,” he muttered. I nodded, moving to get up.

“Okay, let me just get my stuff,” I said. Gage put his hand on my forearm, stopping me from walking away. He shook his head.

“No. I need you to stay here.”

I frowned. “I thought the whole point of us being here together was that you convinced my brother you could protect me,” I pointed out. “How are you supposed to follow through on that if I’m not even with you?”

Gage narrowed his eyes at me, his mouth set in a hard line. “This isn’t a discussion, Coraline. You’re staying here.”

I scoffed and ripped my arm away from his grip. Then I stormed inside. “Let me know when I’m allowed to breathe air without someone else’s say so,” I quipped angrily, “Because apparently I’m not allowed to do anything without people’s permission.”

“Coraline, it’s not like that–”

“Why don’t you just put a collar and leash on me, huh, Gage?” I said, ignoring him. “You treat me like a dog anyway. What difference would it make?”

I watched Gage sigh as I crossed my arms in frustration. It seemed that nobody would ever trust me. I’d always be helpless in their eyes.

Stupid egotistical men. I wanted to punch some sense into every single one of them.

I watched as Gage grabbed his keys and walked to the front door. “Just… lock the door, yeah?” he asked. My lips were sealed with anger, and I didn’t trust myself to say anything good, so I kept my mouth shut.

When the door clicked shut behind him, I childishly stuck out my tongue and flipped him the bird, despite him not being able to see me.

.

A few hours passed and I couldn’t concentrate on anything. I had tried distracting myself with countless episodes of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, but not even Gina Linetti’s constant sass could bring me out of my head.

I was still so unbelievably pissed at every single male in my life. They all thought I was some breakable glass vase, and I was sick of being treated that way.

I just wanted to be trusted with my own decisions.

My stomach growled as I rolled over for the millionth time on the grey couch. I groaned, getting up and making my way to the refrigerator. I had never been a whiz in the kitchen, but I wasn’t hopeless.

I scoured the contents of the fridge, noting that Gage had probably gone grocery shopping while I was sleeping. _Because apparently, he doesn’t give a shit if I’m alone in this house, conscious or not_ , I said to myself.

I scowled before grabbing a jar of peanut spread and a container of chicken drumsticks. I quickly got to work, making my snack on the stovetop. As they were sizzling away, I took out my burner phone and ran through the photos. I had taken photos of each note I’d been sent, and had written down all the instances where I’d almost been kidnapped, or other crazy shit had happened.

I wanted to get to the bottom of this, because I didn’t know how else to distract myself. After ten minutes of trying to search for hidden clues in the notes, my nose began to wrinkle.

My eyes widened and I whipped around. I tore the lid off the pan and smoke billowed out. My chicken legs were officially burnt. I cursed as I hurriedly turned off the heat and began trying to wave the smoke away.

I coughed through the horrific smell. Then, because my life couldn’t get worse, the smoke alarm was triggered and began blaring incessantly. A string of profanities leaked through my lips as I tried to avert the smoke. I opened every door and window that I could see, and I waved my arms to try and get the air moving.

Once everything finally settled, I heard a cough from behind me. I spun around and my eyes landed on Gage’s tall form. There was a slight smirk threatening to drip from his lips.

“ _Skatá_ _,_ Coraline _._ Seems like I can’t even leave you alone for three hours,” he said, his voice low and his eyes sparking. I froze.

_Did he…? Did he just…?_

“Did Gage Emerson just make a joke?” I asked, my voice high and squeaky in disbelief. Gage shrugged.

“People do that, sometimes.”

I frowned. “People do,” I admitted, “But _you_ don’t.”

Gage decided to ignore me, instead walked up to my pan of burnt chicken and began emptying the contents into a nearby trashcan. “How did you even manage to do this? And how did you ever survive living by yourself if you can’t even cook?”

I rolled my eyes at him and sighed in exasperation. “I _can_ cook, I just got distracted.”

I heard Gage scoff under his breath as he eyed my charcoal chicken. “Understatement of the century, right there,” he muttered. I rolled my eyes again and crossed my arms over my chest.

“Fine. You think you can do better?” I challenged. Gage stood up straight and rose one eyebrow.

“Definitely. I made breakfast this morning, remember?”

I stopped short. _Shit._ He did make me breakfast and it had been fucking bomb. God damn I didn’t think that comment through at all. Gage then shooed me out of the kitchen, and with a scowl, I went and sat on the couch.

I resumed my episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, trying to focus on Captain Holt looking for his lost dog, whilst also trying to ignore the amazing smell of whatever Gage was making. Not even an hour later, he sat down on the sofa with me and handed me a plate.

He had made some kind of spinach and cheese pastry, with a dollop of white colored dipping sauce on the side. I eyed him, questioning him silently.

“Spanakopita with tzatziki sauce,” he said, before he took a bite of his own. Then he turned his eyes to the television and watched as Holt found Cheddar in a park.

I looked down at my own plate and ignored the grumble in my stomach. I pulled the pastry apart with my fork and let it sit on my tongue. I tried not to moan instantly at the pure taste. I hated to say that it was amazing.

The man could definitely cook.

I managed to finish my plate in record time. The pastry was delicious, and the sauce was tangy with a lime kick. I wouldn’t have thought all the flavors would work together but I was clearly wrong.

As Gage pressed play on the next episode, I put my plate to the side and turned towards him, crossing my legs so that I could sit sideways on the sofa cushion. Gage eyed me from his peripheral before also putting his plate to the side.

“So, who taught you?” I asked. Gage sat silently for a while, twisting his fingers together before finally replying.

“My mother. She made it her mission to learn to cook Greek dishes after she married my father. When they got divorced, she forced me into the kitchen and told me that I’d have to learn in order to feed my future family.”

I nodded slightly. I wasn’t surprised. Margaret always was headstrong and completely stubborn. A quality I think we shared.

“Well, she taught you well,” I admitted, “Guys who can cook a well-rounded meal are sexy to pretty much the entire female population.” The corner of Gage’s mouth curved up slightly in what I’d come to know was the closest I’d get to a smile out of him.

He shook his head slightly, to which I laughed.

“What?” I said, “It’s true!”

Gage just shrugged, leaving us in silence once again. My eyes fell to my hands in my lap. I twisted the ring on one of my fingers, twirling it around so that I couldn’t see the design, and then back again.

My mind was whirling. Guys generally didn’t do stuff like cook for women unless they were interested, right? Was he only cooking for me because he thought I couldn’t do it for myself, or did he want something else from me?

I sighed internally, slumping my shoulders as my eyes began looking around the room again. When my line of sight fell on a brightly colored box sitting on a shelf beside the entertainment unit, my grin widened.

The word ‘Monopoly’ was staring back at me in big bold letters. That was a good way to waste some time. I got up from my seat and could feel Gage’s eyes on the back of my head. I pulled the box down from its shelf and brushed the dust off the top.

Then I turned back around to face Gage. “Think you can beat me?” I challenged.

Gage rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his enormous chest. “I’m not playing that.”

I sighed. “Aww, come on,” I whined. “I’m bored here, what’s the worst that can happen, huh? C’mon, one game…”

I bounced on my tiptoes as I waited for him to agree, then grinned widely as I watched him sigh in defeat. Then I squealed in delight and set the board game down on the coffee table.

.

**Guys who can cook? Yes, please.**


	21. 20

**CHAPTER TWENTY**

**Coraline**

“I refuse to be anything but the top hat,” Gage grumbled. I sighed, pouting.

“Fine, well then I guess I’m the Scottie dog.” I moved the box onto the coffee table and pulled out the board and all the pieces. I pushed the small playing piece towards Gage and he placed it on the ‘GO’ square.

I then divvied up the money and handed him his share. He organized the property cards and all the chance cards. Then when everything was set up, we were finally ready to play. I rolled the dice.

“Highest roll goes first?” I asked. Gage gave me a noncommittal nod as my roll came up with a four and a five. Gage then took the dice from me and rolled a six and a one. I grinned at my small triumph and took the dice again.

“Care to make this game interesting?” I asked. Gage raised an eyebrow.

“What did you have in mind?”

“Winner gets two hundred bucks?” I challenged. Gage frowned slightly as he considered my proposal. Then he finally nodded his head.

“Alright, fine.”

I laughed at his agreement before I rolled a six and landed on _The Angel Islington_. I paid for the property and put a house on it, then Gage took his turn.

We continued the game for an hour in silence and I was currently winning. Gage had a small scowl playing across his lips, and his eyebrows were pulled in in the middle.

I grinned slightly. I had never imagined him as a sore loser. And I had to admit I was getting bored. I sighed and grinned up at Gage.

“What?” he asked, raising a brow. I smiled.

“I’m bored. We should make margaritas,” I said. Gage rolled his eyes.

“I thought we were playing this game because you were bored. How short is your attention span?” he said, but gestured towards the kitchen. “Everything you’ll need is in the kitchen.” I scoffed at him as I got up.

“I’ll have you know that my attention span is fine, I’m just getting bored of winning,” I said. Gage glared at me and I grinned. “Well what did you expect, you’re not very good at this game.”

Gage glared some more. “There’s no way to be good at this game. It’s purely based on chance,” he defended himself. I grinned.

As I made my way to the kitchen, I felt Gage come up behind me. I frowned, raising my eyebrow as I turned around. “You didn’t have to come with me,” I said as I pulled the blender down from a shelf.

Gage shrugged as he pulled the tequila from the bar. “Figured I’d better supervise. Didn’t want another disaster in the kitchen,” he joked. I rolled my eyes at him.

“I’m not completely incompetent. I can make a friggin’ margarita. Has it slipped your mind that I’m a qualified bartender?” I defended. Gage rolled his eyes.

“I still don’t trust you not to ruin my, _very expensive,_ kitchen.” He sent me one of his almost smiles and it shut me up. It wasn’t often he rendered me speechless, but that expression on his face – the one that was the closest to a smile I’d ever seen – was one of the things that could get my mouth to trap shut.

I sighed. “Well fine, if you’re going to manage this whole situation then you might as well do it yourself. I’m going to go change because it’s hot as shit here and I feel gross,” I said as Gage began making the drinks himself.

I heard the blender start up as I made my way into my room. I stripped out of the tight shirt that was currently stifling me and pulled a swimsuit from my bag. The bikini was black and one of the more conservative ones I owned, but it was still cute. I slipped it on before pulling my daisy dukes back over my ass. Then I pulled on a flowy see-through white shirt and pottered back into the living room.

When I came out, Gage was sitting back in his spot and was fiddling with something on the board. Our drinks sat on the table. My eyes widened and I scoffed.

“Is Gage Emerson _cheating_ at a game of Monopoly?” I inquired. Gage turned to glare, but it was halfhearted.

“Hardly,” he said. “I would never. I was simply fixing one of the houses that had fallen over.”

I rolled my eyes and scoffed. “Sure, and my hair is pink,” I laughed. I sat down and picked up my drink. I sculled half of it before placing it back on the table and focusing on the game.

“If you want to beat me,” I said, “You’re going to have to do it properly.” Gage rolled his eyes at me as I grinned, rolling the dice.

The next hour of our game was more lighthearted as we actually spoke. I think the drinks had helped us loosen up a little. I had consumed about four of them, whilst Gage was still on his second. But you couldn’t blame me.

The icy drink was absolute heaven in this stifling heat. I watched as even Gage was uncomfortable with the hot Florida temperature. He undid the button at the top of his v-neck shirt and I grinned.

“Why not just take the whole thing off?” I suggested, grinning at him. Gage raised an eyebrow at me with a slight warning glare.

I just grinned mischievously at him and pulled the hem of my own shirt over my head, exposing my bikini top. “C’mon, it’s no big deal,” I laughed. I rejoiced at the way I caught Gage’s eyes on my chest for a second too long, before he pulled his gaze back up to meet mine.

I grinned at him and he rolled his eyes. “Fine, but this is purely because my air conditioning is broken and it’s freaking hot in this house,” he muttered.

“I’ll still enjoy the view either way,” I grinned, laughing slightly. My drinks count was affecting the filter on my mouth. I don’t think I would’ve said those words if I was sober.

I was practically drooling as Gage pulled his shirt over his head, exposing his muscular tattooed arms to me, and his chiseled midsection of his olive toned skin. I had to tear my eyes away from the small helping of black hair on his chest before my imagination made me soil my panties. I took a deep breath and then swigged the remainder of drink number four.

I focused back on the game. Gage had somehow managed to pull ahead of me and was currently earning more money. I was down to my last five hundred bucks. I had practically already admitted defeat, so with a grimace, I emptied the rest of the blender mix into my glass and downed it. Then I rolled my dice and ended up on one of Gage’s most expensive properties.

He sent me a half grin as I had to hand him the last of my money to pay his rent. I scowled as he sat up straight and put his hands behind his head.

“And one champion remains,” he gloated. I glared at him playfully.

“I’m still not convinced you didn’t cheat while I was gone,” I said, grinning slightly. Gage just rolled his eyes. I dug around in my back pocket and pulled out two hundred-dollar bills.

I handed them over grudgingly and watched as Gage shoved them into his pants pocket. Then he leant forward and rested his elbows on his knees. His position was giving me the perfect view of his chest and I had to look away to stop myself from openly ogling him.

He was too damn attractive for his own damn good. It wasn’t fair.

“So, what do you want to do now?” he asked with a slight sigh. I paused as I considered it. Then I looked up at him.

“You could tell me where you went this morning,” I said. Gage’s demeanor immediately changed. His face hardened with the clench of his jaw and his lips thinned out.

“Not a chance, Coraline.” Gage got up from his seat and stalked past me into the kitchen.

I frowned. Why didn’t he want to tell me? What was he caught up in? I got up and followed him.

“Why?” I asked. “Can you at least tell me if it involved the club?”

Gage sighed as he started cleaning up everything we used to make drinks. “Fine, yes it was club business.”

I frowned some more. “Well, okay. Did it have to do with Roz?” I was met with silence. And that silence told me I’d hit the nail on the head. “Are you serious, Gage? If it was about my best friend then I deserve to know.”

Gage sighed and put down the dishes. He then turned to face me, his face was angry. “Fine. You want to know what it was, Coraline?”

I glared at him. “Yes.”

“It was a ransom letter,” Gage said, his lip curling on his last word. I scowled, my mouth falling open.

“Are you kidding me?” I growled. “A ransom letter was sent to the club about _my_ damn best friend, and you weren’t going to tell me?”

Gage was silent as I fumed.

“I need to see it. Give me your phone,” I said, my voice icy. Gage shook his head.

“Not happening, Coraline.”

I glared at the man before me. “I’m not joking here, Trigger. I deserve to know what is happening to my best friend. I deserve to know how I can help her, because since she’s been kidnapped, all I’ve done is land myself in the damn hospital and then take a fucking glorified vacation to Miami.”

Gage’s eyes hardened at my use of his nickname before he turned to glare down at me. But it was no use. I wasn’t going to back down on this. I was as stubborn as I was short.

Gage still refused to say anything as he went back to washing his dishes. I scowled. “I’m fucking serious here, Gage. I will go as far as to take your damn keys in the middle of the night and drive back home. So, stop being an asshole and let me see the damn letter,” I scowled.

Gage gave me a frustrated groan as he threw his dishes down into the sink and stalked to the living room. I followed him and watched as he picked up his phone and turned back around.

“Fine, Coraline. Read the damn letter, but just know, there’s nothing you can do and we’re not going home yet. We have to stay here until we get more news.”

I glared at him, ignoring his words as I snatched the cell from his hand. I flicked through his messages until I came across the one from Jax.

**Talon just got a ransom letter from the shits that took our girls. I’ve attached a photo:**

_Dear Talon Knight,_

_Thankyou for lending us your generous supply of wet pussy._

_We hope you don’t mind how long we’ve kept them for._

_We’d be happy to return them if you do us one easy solid._

_Hand over the tiny bitch attached to your Sergeant’s dick and you’ll soon be sinking back into your juicy cunts._

_3pm Friday at the abandoned warehouse on Shacks Road._

_Deposit the girl alone and we’ll send the club pussy back your way._

_We’ll know if you come armed._

_If you choose to ignore these instructions, we’ll make sure your whores arrive home in caskets._

_We hope you’ll consider our offer._

_Xx_

I dropped the phone to the ground in shock. What the hell did these people want with me? What the hell had I done to warrant any of this?

My breath started to quicken and Gage grabbed me by my hip. He pulled me closer to him and buried my head into his chest. Tears sprang to my eyes as he wound his arm around my waist.

I felt like I was in a tightly coiled prison and Gage trapped me in a cage of muscle.

“They’re going to kill them,” I whispered. I could feel Gage’s heartbeat under the skin of his pectoral. It was comforting to me and I tried to focus on the steady beat to calm my breathing down.

But it wasn’t working.

“We’re not going to let them,” Gage muttered, whispering the words into my hair.

I started to hyperventilate and Gage pulled me away from his chest took look into my eyes. Tears were streaming down my face and my eyes were wide in panic. My vision was starting to go blurry as black spots filled my eyeline.

I think I was having a panic attack. In the back of my mind, I could hear Gage calling my name. I wanted to respond, but I didn’t know how.

Before I could register anything else, I realized I couldn’t breathe, and my eyes had fallen closed. I felt a soft pressure on my mouth and my eyes flew open. I pulled away from Gage, realizing he had just kissed me.

I gave him a confused glance, tears still making my cheeks wet. And then I placed my hand behind his neck and pulled him back down to me. I pressed my lips to his with hungry fervor, letting my instincts take over.

He tasted of tequila and smelt of sea spray. His lips were a soft pressure on mine and I was on cloud fucking nine. My hands roamed his hair, tugging softly at the nape of his neck and pulling a groan from the depth of his chest.

Gage wrapped his arms around me waist, holding me tightly as one of his arms ghosted down to my ass. His hand found their way to my thighs and pulled me up with ease. I wrapped my legs around his waist as he nibbled into my bottom lip.

He was asking for permission as one hand rested on my ass and the other held my waist. My lips parted gently and his tongue slid in slowly.

He took his time, sucking on my tongue and my bottom lip. I whimpered softly when his teeth sunk into it slightly. I then explored his mouth, my fingers pulling on his hair and making his mouth open even more.

He tasted addictive, like a drug. My skin was heated and I felt my cheeks were wet. I was crying uncontrollably and I didn’t know why.

I had only ever kissed two people in my life, and kissing this man was so different from kissing Roz.

_Roz._

I cursed myself as I pulled apart from Gage, remembering my best friend. I landed on my feet and stepped back, putting distance between us. The action killed me, because kissing him was the one thing I’d wanted to do since he’d walked in on me changing in his bedroom. Gage glared down at me, his eyes glazed over with lust and his neck tinted red.

I placed a finger over my lips, not quite believing what just happened, but before I could open my mouth to speak, Gage turned on his heel and stalked into his bedroom.

He slammed the door, leaving me completely dazed and confused.

I had a million and one questions running through my head, and one overarching realization.

I wanted him to get back out here and finish what he started.

He might’ve kissed me out of purely wanting to stop my panic attack – literally taking your breath away could do that – but that kiss had turned into something else. I was practically dripping with need at the end of that, and he wouldn’t be able to deny that we both wanted it.

You didn’t react that way to a kiss if you didn’t want it. I frowned and sat on the couch, completely confused. I hadn’t realized I was still crying until my face fell into my hands.

I wanted more than anything to follow Gage into that damn bedroom and demand he finish what he started, but I knew it wasn’t right.

My best friend just had her life officially threatened, and the only way to save her was to trade her life for mine. Sex wasn’t a constructive solution right now.

But I wanted it more than anything.

.

**I waited too long for this to happen!!!**


	22. 21

**CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE**

**Coraline**

I frowned as I flicked through the newspaper. I was sitting on the balcony of Gage’s beach house, casually wasting my day away because I had nothing better to do. Gage had been avoiding me since our game of monopoly, no doubt because he regretted our actions after the game.

I shook my head, trying to ignore my own thoughts. If he regretted it so much, then why did he initiate it in the first place?

I swear, this man was more infuriating and confusing than quantum physics.

I slouched on the outdoor sofa, resting my head back as my feet were elevated on the table in front of me. I tried focusing on the article in front of me, ignoring the voices in my head that were pissed at Gage for abandoning me and making me question whether he even wanted what had happened.

The article was about the discovery of some island in the Pacific Ocean located between Hawaii and the Galapagos Islands.

_Abigail Wilson reports: A sanctuary no one even knew existed._ _Researchers, geologists, and avid explorers are all delighted to announce the discovery of this new Island. Having never been come across before, new waves in satellite technology allowed scientists to hone in on the Island’s exact location almost six months ago. After $500,000 was raised by esteemed missionary, Fadia Jenkins, an expedition was assumed by the world’s top sailors and scientists. After a three-week journey, the group finally sailed into the bay of this new and exciting piece of earth. Only to find that they were not alone..._

_Upon stepping foot onto the white sandy beaches of this new land, scientists and missionaries alike were met with curious natives. The natives weren’t violent, but spoke no English. They seemed to have their own dialect. They spoke in their own native tongue and luckily, there was a linguistics professor aboard the missionary vessel. After careful concentration, it seemed the natives were speaking in tongues not unlike their nearby neighbors of the Galapagos and Hawaiian island, obviously with a little differentiation in-between._

_Both the tribe and the explorers managed to come to a peaceful agreement, and the tribe was willing to showcase their homes and culture to the expeditionary crew. They wore a mixture of animal skins and cloth made from woven thread of various plants. Their homes are made of wood, mud, cloth and plant life. Scientists were ecstatic to report that the flora is unlike anything they’ve seen before, and that their seems to be traces of Giant Tortoise’s who may be close relatives, if not share the same genes, as the Giant Pinta Galapagos Tortoise that was thought to be extinct._

_The island has been completely untouched by modern technology, as these tribespeople have never met anyone outside of their island. The people also have their own monarchy, or level of chiefs, who govern the doings of the people. The linguistics professional was excited to reveal that the natives call the island ‘Lua Lua’, and the people themselves are called the ‘Irrirriki Tribe’. More information will be following in the coming weeks, as well as photo and video attractions._

My eyebrows raised in interest as I kept reading through a few journal recounts and interviews with people who took part in the expedition. Then my body froze when I heard Gage’s bedroom door open. I heard his two footsteps that led him out, then heard him halt as he noticed me sitting there, then he continued into the room.

My lungs screamed. _When had I started holding my breath?_ I exhaled slowly, trying to keep it low and make sure it didn’t look I was sucking in air. I heard the Keurig turn on in the kitchen behind me.

I quickly got out of my seat and walked to the kitchen. I was sick of him avoiding me. I was bored, and I wasn’t going to take this shit any longer. If he wanted to ignore what happened between us, then fine, but I wasn’t going to let him not talk to me.

We could be adults about this. _Right?_

I stood in front of the counter and put down my coffee glass. Gage stood with his back to me, tensed and probably intent on not turning around. I wasn’t having it.

“Mind making an extra one?” I asked. I watched him pause before finally turning around and taking my cup. He didn’t meet my eyes and his neck was beginning to tinge red at the base.

I grinned. The idiot was embarrassed.

I ignored the tension between us and took a seat at the bar. Gage slid my drink back in front of me before passing a container of ice cubes, and the milk. I topped off my drink and raised my eyes, watching him as he made his own, stirring slowly.

I decided I was going to stare at his face until his eyes finally met mine.

It took a few minutes, but he finally grew tired of my gaze and gave in, looking at me with a scowl. I grinned in triumph.

“I’m bored as fuck. Let’s do something fun today,” I said. Gage sighed into his drink, looking down at his hands.

“You know we can’t go anywhere, Coraline.”

I scowled and crossed my arms. “Well then there has to be something for us to do here. Seriously, I can’t sit around this, albeit gorgeous house, any longer. I’m going crazy.”

Gage exhaled slowly and ran a hand through the short curls on top of his head. His raised arm made the hem of his v neck slide up and reveal a small strip of caramel skin. I tried to ignore the flash of memory inside my head, of his lips on mine and his hands in my hair.

I crossed a leg over my other from underneath the breakfast bar, ignoring the flush of arousal that made my skin heat as my stomach clenched. I averted my eyes from the stubble on his jaw.

“ _K_ _ólasi_ ,” he muttered. “Alright. If you’re desperate, we can go out on my boat.” His voice was guttural and husky.

I cocked an eyebrow as my mouth dropped slightly.

“You mean to tell me you’ve kept me inside this house for days when we could’ve been out enjoying this beautiful Miami weather whilst on a freaking boat?”

Gage ignored me and instead picked up his coffee mug and walked to his room. I sighed at his unwillingness to answer simple questions, but quickly got over it.

I was finally going to get out of this damn house.

I jumped up from my seat and rushed to my room, sliding on a swimsuit that I thought was cute. It was royal blue and was your classic triangle-cut. But it suited my skin tone and was just a little sexy. It also showed off my ink really well, which is always a plus.

I shrugged on a white flowing dress over the top and then grabbed my book from my nightstand. Then I slipped my feet into a pair of basic sandals and left the room. Gage was waiting at the front door. He was dressed in a pair of board shorts and a white t-shirt.

He was holding a few towels and a basket of assorted foods. I also spotted two bottles of vodka in there. I grinned and was practically bouncing on my toes at the anticipation of spending a beautiful day on a boat with Gage.

Who looked delicious by the way.

I slid my shades over my eyes and followed him out the door. Then he drove us to the marina where his boat was docked. And the thing did not disappoint.

It was a gigantic luxury yacht, with three levels. My mouth dropped open at the sight of it. Gage had more money than he knew what to do with. The vessel was black and white, and very sleek. And there was an inscription written in silver cursive on the back side.

_Θησαυρός_

I didn’t know how to read Greek, but it looked beautiful nonetheless. I was about to ask Gage what it meant when he answered my question for me. He must’ve seen me gaping.

“ _Thisavrós_ ,” he said. “My father bought this boat for my mother as a way to persuade her to stay with him. It didn’t work.” Then he hoisted himself up onto the deck and walked inside.

I frowned. He hadn’t _exactly_ answered my unspoken question, so I’d just have to use Google to translate it later. Then I followed suit and walked up the stairs and onto the deck. Before I knew it, the engine was starting and we were off.

I took a seat on one of the loungers as Gage steered us out of the marina and into the Miami bay. I smiled as I watched the clean blue sea wash past us lazily. I felt extremely relaxed and was so happy to have made it out of the house at least.

After about half an hour of slow sailing, Gage pulled us to a stop and cut off the engine. We were in a less crowded part of the bay, probably because Gage was being extra careful about security and what not.

But I didn’t mind. The less people there were around, the easier it was going to be to just lay back and have a chill day. I pulled off my white dress and then got my sunblock from my bag. I started laving the cream into my skin and frowned when I got everywhere I could reach, but I still needed someone to do my back.

I sighed and looked up to the drivers pit where Gage had been for the last half an hour, avoiding me. He wasn’t there, so with a roll of my eyes I got up from my seat and went to find him on one of the floors of this gigantic boat.

After about five minutes I came across him sitting at the opposite end of the boat, drinking a beer. He looked up when he noticed me standing there.

I didn’t miss the way his eyes widened at my bikini, honing in on my ink. He hadn’t seen it since he’d burst in on me getting changed on his first day back in town. I watched him tear his eyes away and I rolled my eyes, taking a few steps closer.

“Do you mind putting this on my back?” I asked, “I can’t reach.” I held out the bottle of sunblock and watched the decision go through his mind. He was weighing up his options.

When he took forever to decide, I sighed heavily. “C’mon, Gage. It’s sunblock, not a bomb.”

He seemed to freeze at my words and I mentally punched myself. _Nice one_ , I chastised myself. _Seem to forget he was at war for ten years?_

I sighed. “I’m sorry, that was insensitive. I wasn’t thinking,” I mumbled. I was looking at my feet, resisting the urge to run a hand through my hair in frustration. When I looked back up, Gage was standing in front of me, his eyes were hard and emotionless.

I frowned but placed the bottle into his outstretched palm. Then I turned and waited for him to rub it into my skin.

There was a slight delay, but it happened eventually. His hand was warm against my skin, and I could feel the callouses on the balls of his palm. I let out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding, slowly.

His fingers brushed under the back strap of my swimsuit, being thorough with where he was spreading the cream. My muscles were tensed and I’m pretty sure that goosebumps were raising on my skin in every place he touched me.

When he was finished, his hand dropped and I turned around. I took the sunblock from him without a word, and turned on my heel. Then I walked back to my end of the boat.

I cussed myself out the entire way. I was such an idiot. I seriously needed a more effective filter on my mouth. With an angry sigh, I slumped down in my lounger and stretched out my legs. Then I pulled out my book and opened it to my dog-eared page – it was a bad habit of mine.

Then I decided to lose myself in the words and effectively ignore every single instinct that told me to go back to Gage and really _apologize_.

.

I opened my eyes with a tired sigh, only to realize that I had fallen asleep reading my book. The sky was grey and pink, showing obvious signs of early dusk. I looked down at my skin, thanking the heavens for my heritage and knowing that I wouldn’t wake up the next morning with a killer sunburn.

I pulled my shades off my face and sat up, finally taking a look at my surroundings and freezing when I realized that Gage was sitting in a lounger across from me. He wasn’t paying attention to me, but I’m sure he had noticed that I’d woken up.

I wondered how long he’d been sitting there.

He was in the middle of lighting the small gas fireplace that was on this back deck. It was circular and had a collection of grey stones in the bottom. I picked up my dress from beside me and pulled it on.

Then I just watched him as he worked. He wasn’t wearing a shirt or shoes, and so I had a very generous view of the extensive ink coating his arms. I wouldn’t be able to sit on this any longer. I needed to know what such beautiful designs meant to him.

Anyone with tattoos knew that they had a meaning. Some were more explicit than others, and often nobody but yourself truly knew what it meant to you, but the act of embedding ink into your skin for the sake of art was a discipline that couldn’t be ignored.

I watched the water on his left arm ripple as he moved. It was mesmerizing. _He_ was mesmerizing.

Then my eyes caught on the pendant hanging from his neck. I had never noticed it before, but after watching carefully, I realized it was his military identification tags.

Gage finally glanced my way, a small red tinge coating the base of his neck when he realized I was watching him. He picked up the bottle of beer laying beside him and took a swig before leaning back in his chair, away from the fire that was now crackling away successfully.

We sat in silence for a while before I spoke up. “Got any more of those?” I asked, gesturing to the drink in his hand.

His eyebrow twitched as he focused on the object of my conversation. Then he sat up and pulled open a bar fridge that I hadn’t known was there.

He dragged a bottle of Grey Goose from the icy freeze and held it up. “As I recall, you like something a little stronger.”

I paused, but nodded with a small smile before taking the bottle from his outstretched hand. Then he passed me a bottle of Coca-Cola as a chaser. “Sorry I fell asleep. You were probably bored, right?” I asked after taking a fair swig of the alcohol. I winced at the burn it created down my throat, but welcomed the pain.

Gage didn’t answer right away, allowing me to tip the bottle back once more. “I wasn’t bored. Just glad you were able to relax.”

I nodded before focusing back on the bottle in my hands. I took one more swig for courage. If he was going to shoot me down on these questions then I at least needed to be able to blame it on the fact that I might be tipsy.

All the sun and the alcohol were already starting to affect my head and I was feeling heady.

“Tell me about your ink,” I blurted out. Gage looked up at me, a small frown making his eyebrows crease his forehead.

“What?”

I blushed and ran a hand through my hair. “Your tattoos. I’ve been curious about them since you came home.”

Gage was silent. I bit the inside of my cheek and cursed myself again.

“I’m sorry. That was intrusive. You don’t have to tell me, it’s obviously personal,” I backtracked. Gage raised an eyebrow at me but shook his head slightly.

“No. Not intrusive. I just wasn’t expecting the question,” he mumbled, his voice low. “What do you want to know?”

I sighed. I wanted to start small, so as not to scare him off. “Your collarbone. What does it mean to you?”

Gage nodded and leaned back so that his collarbone was on display. It was only a small tattoo, and looked like a barcode with a bunch of letters and numbers and stripes.

“It represents my time in the military. One stroke for each year I served, then my legion and cohort. And above that is my badge as a Sergeant.”

I nodded. “When did you get it done?”

“Periodically. The legion and cohort numbers were the first that I added. Then each year after that I added another stroke. And then I got the Sergeant badge right before I came home, because I knew that I was leaving the forces and that it was the highest promotion I’d receive for my time overseas.”

I stood up from my seat and walked closer to him, before sitting down beside him. I wanted a closer look at his artwork, especially as the dimming light was making it harder to see them.

I traced a finger down his left arm, stroking the curve of the rolling waves. “What about these ones?” I asked. “What made you want sleeves?”

Gage shrugged. In his artwork on his left arm I could see a ship, a compass, octopus tentacles and the face of a bearded man. His right arm bore the beautiful face of a woman, marred by scarring. She had snakes for hair and then that wound down to a winged horse on his forearm.

“What do these mean to you?”

Gage sighed and looked into my eyes. I searched his deep blues for any kind of emotion. “My father used to tell me stories as a child to put me to sleep. Greek fables of ancient gods and goddesses. His favorite was the story of Poseidon and Medusa. Do you know it?”

I shook my head. I hadn’t really paid much attention in Ancient Studies during high school.

“Well, Poseidon was the God of the Sea, and one of the Ancient twelve Olympian Gods. Medusa was a Gorgon, born to Phorcys, an ancient marine deity. Medusa had two immortal sisters, Stheno and Euryale, but she herself was mortal. Medusa was a ravishingly beautiful maiden with many suitors, but she had pledged her life to be a priestess for the Virgin goddess Athena. Athena was also one of the Ancient twelve Olympians.

“Poseidon and Athena had long been rivals, as they had both wanted to be the patron god of the city of Athens, but ultimately, the people chose Athena, therefore offending the Sea God. One day, he came across the beautiful Medusa and decided to humiliate Athena by raping the priestess on the steps of Athena’s temple. He then vanished and left Medusa vulnerable and weak.

“Medusa prayed to Athena for guidance and forgiveness, but, in those days the gods claimed their sexual partners as their mates for life and Medusa was now technically Poseidon’s wife. The act both offended Athena as it was done in her temple, but it also violated her morals and her rules that priestesses must remain lifelong virgins. Athena felt that Medusa had betrayed her, so she cursed her.

“Athena gave Medusa snakes for hair, chicken legs, giant metal wings, cracked her skin and sent her mad. She also cursed Medusa so that anyone who looked directly into her eyes would turn to stone. Medusa was now a monster woman, and Athena banished her away from civilization on an island by herself.

“Many men chased her and tried to kill her as she was alone, but they were all turned to stone when she laid eyes on them. She became afraid of her powers and angry at Athena for cursing her. Poseidon gave her no help. Many years later, a man named Perseus came to slay her.

“He had been given many gifts by the Olympians, including a shield from Athena, flying shoes from Hermes, and a sword and crown from the Olympian King, Zeus. Perseus managed to outsmart Medusa by using his divine gifts, as he only looked at her reflection instead of into her eyes. He beheaded her.

“However, when Poseidon had raped Medusa all those years ago, he had impregnated her. So, when Perseus beheaded her, she bore two sons from her neck, a horse with white wings named Pegasus, and a golden warrior named Chryasaor. Perseus then made his way back to the gods and presented Athena with the head of Medusa. She took the severed head and turned it into a terrifying shield called _Aegis_ , and used it to terrify enemies with a single look,” Gage said.

I was speechless. This was the most I had ever heard him speak, _ever._

“The tattoos on my right arm represent who I am, and those on my left represent the consequences if I ever choose what I am to become,” he said. I frowned.

“What do you mean?”

Gage sighed. “For the first fifteen years of my life I watched my father take advantage of my mother. He was emotionally and physically manipulative and abusive. He was controlling up until the day she mustered enough courage to divorce him. I’m still surprised to this day that he even let her leave. I left for the military because I was afraid I would take advantage of someone like Poseidon had, like my father did. I refuse to condemn anyone to a fate as ugly as Medusa’s. These tattoos are my reminders.”

My mouth was hanging open. I was in complete shock. He thought, that because his father was an abusive asshole, that he would somehow turn out the same way?

“Gage, that’s insane. You could never become your father,” I said, my voice small and breathless. Gage scowled.

“And how do you know that?” he growled, his voice cut through the air like a knife. “Their relationship dynamic was the only one I was exposed to as a child. I only know their way to love someone, which is to hurt them, to break them until you both crack under the pressure.”

I frowned and let my hand ghost over his arms. I traced the lines of ship sails and of the curve of a snake’s body. I let my fingers run over the wings of his Pegasus and follow the straight arrow of his compass.

Gage was silent as I looked down at his hands, but I could feel his eyes on my face. His gaze was heated and made me want to clench my thighs together. I finally looked up into his eyes.

“Is that why you left the other night, after you kissed me?” I asked, my voice small. Gage scowled at me and looked away. He moved to get up but I clenched my hand around his arm, trapping him.

“You’re not leaving again,” I whispered. “We’re going to talk about this. Now answer me. Did you leave because you were afraid of hurting me?”

Gage didn’t answer, but he locked eyes with me, narrowing his gaze and glaring. I scoffed. “Well then you’re an idiot,” I rolled my eyes. “Leaving me that night left me more hurt and confused than I would have been if you’d stayed.”

Gage was still silent. He must have used up his speech quota for the _year_ in telling me about his tattoos. I rolled my eyes and lowered my hands to the hem of my dress. I pulled it over my head, revealing my body. I knew other ways to get him to stay.

“What are you doing?” he asked, his voice strained in that husky tone that I just _loved_. I grinned up at him.

“You shared a piece of your art history, I figure it’s only fair that I reciprocate.”

Gage narrowed his eyes, slyly lowering them to my tattoo and then quickly back up to my face. I grinned.

“It’s an eagle,” I said. “Kind of.”

Gage relaxed into his chair as I leant back, giving him permission to ogle at my artwork. I lifted the hem of my bikini a tiny bit so that he could have the full effect. It was between and under my breasts.

It was an eagle with outstretched wings, only it’s head was adorned with traditional native American feathered headdress, and it had one eyes open on its back.

“I wanted something that I could commemorate my mother and my grandmother. My grandmother was always telling me her stories about our Cherokee-Seminole heritage.”

Gage was frozen, and his eyes snapped up to mine, telling me to keep talking.

“In most native American storytelling, eagles represent sacrifice, courage, and healing. After my mom died, I knew I wanted something to help me remember her. I felt that an eagle truly embodied her free spirit. In a lot of Cherokee tribes, a prominent symbol is that of an open eye on the back of a hand. It symbolizes an entry point from one world into another. I wanted to add all of these components together; the eagle, the eye, and the native American spirit so that I could really have something that embodied the strong women in my life.

“I got the tattoo about four years ago, and Luna was the one who inked it. She’s really talented and owns the parlor in town,” I said. I watched Gage as he sat in silence. He had been in the military when my mom had passed away.

My breath hitched when he reached a hand out. He cupped my ribs and let his thumb gently brush over my skin. His finger followed the lines of one of the outstretched wings. I was frozen underneath his touch. When his gaze raised to mine, I let the words fall from my mouth. It was what I’d wanted to ask him about since the very first moment I’d seen them.

“The scars on your back. How did you get them?” I asked, my voice small and shaky.

Gage immediately dropped his hand and I watched his eyes harden once more. For a moment, I was afraid he was going to get up and leave again.

But he didn’t. He stayed in his seat.

But he was quiet. And I was unmoving because I didn’t want to spook him.

“Two years ago,” he finally said. “My cohort was doing a routine sweep of an abandoned building. It had been evacuated the day before because it was at risk of being hit by the Taliban.

“My partner stood on a loose floorboard in one of the upper rooms. I heard a small whine start and so I shoved him to the ground in the opposite direction and covered his body with mine. It was a shrapnel bomb. They were pretty common, but that one hit hard because the building had been a women and children’s shelter.

“We evacuated it because we’d caught wind that they were teaching school classes in there to young girls. And if we’d heard about it, the Taliban definitely would have. And it turned out that we were right.

“After the bomb hit, my back was completely torn open. My partner managed to drag me out before a second bomb went off. Because those things never happen just once. He got me back to a medical base because I required urgent treatment.

“The metal in the bomb had been doused in battery acid, so the damage was done twicefold. It took three months for everything to heal, and a few days after I was better, they made me a Sergeant.”

Gage then sat in silence and my mouth was practically on the floor.

This man was more selfless than he would ever know. And it killed me that he thought he could possibly ever hurt someone that he loved. If anything, this proved to me he was the polar opposite of his father.

I remembered the conversation that Gage had had with Lucas the day that he had left. He had told Lucas that his father didn’t think he would make it in the military.

His father had had no idea of his own son’s character. Gage was ten times the man his father could ever have been. And, before I knew what was happening, my arm was winding its way around Gage’s neck and I was grasping at the baby hairs at the base of his neck.

I pulled his lips to mine and kissed him fiercely. My eyes fluttered closed as my lips landed over his own and my other arm wound its way around his neck. I felt his arms come around my waist, caressing the skin slowly as his mouth laved over mine.

He had been unresponsive at first, but was quick to meet my pained enthusiasm with his own. His lips were as hard as the muscles underneath my fingertips.

His tongue probed gently at the seam of my lips and I happily opened my mouth, granting him entrance. His tongue twined furiously with mine and I could hear his intake of breath as I pushed him onto his back.

I lay myself on top of him as his fingers gripped my hips. I could feel his arousal on my inner thigh but I ignored it. As much as I wanted to sink myself down on top of him, I knew that after the truth-bombs we had just dropped on each other, now was not the time.

I couldn’t fuck Gage’s problems away. His fears ran deeper than that.

When one of his hands found a way to my hair I moaned softly and he pressed our kiss even deeper. I broke away from him because my lungs were screaming and looked into his eyes.

They were glazed over with a film of unadulterated lust. I wanted nothing more than to kiss his pain away.

“You’re ten times the man your father was,” I whispered slowly. “You know that, right?”

Gage’s eyes hardened but he reached a hand between us. I hadn’t realized that a tear had snuck its way from my eye until he swiped the pad of his thumb underneath it. He didn’t acknowledge that I had spoken, and I had a feeling he wasn’t going to, so I closed my eyes and pressed my lips to his once more.

But it was a chaste kiss as I pulled myself away and got off him. He frowned at me and I ran my fingertips over the swollen plump of my lips. Then I grinned slightly.

Gage had just let me kiss him for real, and he had kissed me back.

I was soaring up to cloud nine right now. So, with that, I gave him a cheeky smiled and ran to the edge of the boat. Then I flipped myself off the side and into the black of the calm sea under the starry night sky.

When I surfaced, I could see Gage standing at the edge of his boat, his eyebrows creased with worry. I gave him a small laugh.

“Come on in, Sergeant. The water is heaven,” I giggled. I knew that he needed to take his mind of the heavy conversation we’d just had. So, I watched him run a hand through his hair and then down his face, contemplating his next decision.

“ _G_ _amó_ ,” he cursed, then I watched as he gave in and dived into the water after me.

.

**Blue balls for everyone, lol**


	23. 22

**CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO**

**Coraline**

I pulled a box of _Lucky Charms_ from the pantry and filled my bowl before topping it up with milk. My mind was racing with the events of last night.

After our long conversation about tattoos and then our kiss, I had jumped into the water and Gage had quickly followed. We had chilled out in the cool water for a while before Gage finally said we should head home.

So, we both climbed back onto the boat and I got settled in my seat while he steered the boat back to the marina. Then he drove us home. We’d sat in the car in silence once it was parked in the beach house garage.

And I had wanted so badly to kiss him again. I finally felt like we were almost on the same wavelength. He knew how I felt, but I was still unsure about him.

He hadn’t really said anything about it, so I was left to wonder.

I pulled my breakfast from the counter and carried it over to the couch with me. I let myself fall into the cushions before turning on the television. There was an old _Friends_ re-run playing. It was the one where Rachel was teaching Joey how to sail a boat.

I zoned out from the show and let my mind keep spinning as I casually munched on my meal.

After we had made it inside, I’d stood at the doorway to my bedroom and Gage had stood with me. I wanted to kiss him goodnight, but it never happened, so I ended up going to bed alone.

I threw myself down on those sheets almost immediately and conked out.

When I had woken up this morning with the sunrise and Gage had been nowhere to find, and still hadn’t returned from wherever he was. I put down my now empty breakfast bowl and turned my attention back to the show playing.

It was the end of the episode but luckily, they were having some kind of marathon, so I was quickly entertained. I put my feet up on the coffee table and leant back into the cushions. It wasn’t long before I was drifting in and out of sleep.

The amount of sun I’d had the day before was still making me tired. After watching a few episodes, I changed the channel to reality tv. I needed some mindless drama to distract me from the drama of my own life.

I left Kim to bitch about Kourtney being the least interesting to look at and walked back to my room. I brought my phone into the bathroom and connected it to the built in speaker that I’d found a few days ago.

I began blasting Eminem, bopping my head as I got into my shower to wash away the sea salt from yesterday. I’d been too lazy to clean myself before going to bed, so I felt like now was a better time than any.

I sighed in content as I let my head slide under the cool water, then I placed a dollop of shampoo into my hand and began massaging it into my scalp. I needed to scrub away whatever the sea had left in my hair.

I giggled as I began piling my long hair onto the top of my head to spike it up into a mohawk.

I rinsed my hair and grinned at the overwhelming scent of watermelon wafting through my nose before I moved onto my conditioner. I spread it through my locks, moisturizing the roots until they were silky.

I shook my head along to the beat of _The Real_ _Slim Shady_ , mouthing the words as I danced a little in the shower. I made sure not to slip over as I scrubbed myself with body wash. Then I rinsed myself down and hopped out.

I grabbed my towel and began drying myself before I reached up to the mirror. It was covered with steam so I decided to draw a few smiley faces before I wiped the whole thing down.

I wrapped my hair in my towel before walking out into my room. I pulled on a pair of matching lingerie, a pair of booty shorts, and a distressed black crop top. It was too hot to not be comfortable.

Then I unwrapped my hair and hung my towel back up, letting my hair air dry in the Floridian heat. I walked back out to the living room, expecting to find that Gage had come home, but I was disappointed.

I had no idea what was taking him so long. I picked up my phone from where I’d left it on the couch and sent him a quick text, before throwing the device back down and focusing on the television again.

Kim was trying to organize some photoshoot but Kourtney was bitching about not wanting to disrupt a schedule or something. I wasn’t really paying attention.

I tried to pay attention but realized it wasn’t working so I shut off the tv and picked up my phone again.

No response from Gage. I frowned.

What the hell could he be doing? I thought the whole point of us being in Miami was for him to keep an eye on me?

I sighed and threw my phone back down again. I looked around the room. There wasn’t much for me to do, so I walked to my room to fetch a bottle of nail polish. Then I threw myself back down onto the couch and started panting my toes a glossy black color.

I had to redo them twice because I kept getting distracted and messing them up.

Stupid pinky toe that I could never reach. _Where were those toe separators when you need them?_

My eyes flicked over to the automatic clock on the stove. It was about one o’clock in the afternoon. My eyes darted to the front door.

He _still_ wasn’t home.

Had he abandoned me here in this house?

I scowled and lay down on the couch. It was so hot that I felt like just passing out. Which felt like a good decision.

.

I groaned as I felt something tapping at my shoulder.

“Go away,” I mumbled. My voice felt thick and my chest was constricted. I was probably lying on it. There was a chuckle sounding from somewhere above me and I cracked one eye open.

It looked a little blurry, just because I had a little sleep in my eye.

“It’s my house. So… no.”

I rolled my eyes at the man above me and shut my eye again. I wanted to ignore him. Especially since he left me here for the whole day by myself. It was dark now. That’s how long he’d been gone.

But I had very little self-control.

“Why did you wake me?” I grumbled. I’d have been perfectly happy to sleep until I died.

“Figured you’d want to know where I was all day.”

That caught my interest, so I rolled over onto my back and cracked my eyes open a little. Gage gave me his half smirk and I almost rolled my eyes again.

“Fine. I’m interested. Where were you?”

Gage was silent for a while, before I watched him scratch the back of his neck and shove the other hand into the front pocket of his riding jeans.

“Uh… Why don’t I show you?” he said. I frowned but sat up. I was fully awake now. As I looked him up and down, I was able to appreciate his attire a little more.

He looked the same as usual, kind of. Something was different. He was still wearing riding jeans, combat boots, and a short-sleeved black crew-neck. But there was something off.

My eyes raked over his face and I realized what it was.

His stubble was closely trimmed and neat. His hair was shiny and still a little wet; it looked a little shorter too. His jeans looked free of any dirt, and his boots were tied neatly. His shirt was free of wrinkles, and he smelled delicious.

He had cleaned himself up more than usual. _Why?_

Gage raised an eyebrow as he watched me study him. I must’ve looked a little odd with my eyes raking him up and down, my mouth turned down in a frown and my eyebrows pulled together slightly.

Maybe he thought I didn’t like what I saw.

But if that was what he thought then he was dead wrong. I more than liked it. He had cleaned up, _nicely_ , showing effort on his part.

What had he been doing today that led up to this?

“Alright, you’ve got my attention,” I said. Gage nodded.

“Get dressed. You can cuss me out later for leaving. Right now, we’re going to dinner.”

My mouth officially dropped to the floor. _Dinner?_ Gage had planned dinner?

_Did this count as a date?_ I shook that thought from my head, trying not to get my hopes up as I stood up from the couch. I walked into my room and pulled open my suitcase.

I pulled on a pair of three-quarter light wash denim pants, then pulled on a black peplum top. I paired it with some gold studs and a pair of black heeled boots. Then I went to the bathroom and brushed out my hair, making sure my curls didn’t look too messy. Then I touched on a lick of makeup, just some mascara, eyeliner, and a bit of concealer.

Then I walked back out to meet Gage. He was sitting on the couch looking through his phone. He looked up when he saw me and I watched as he gave me a slow once over.

I grinned. I knew I looked hot.

When Gage was done checking me out, he looked up and walked towards the door. I followed him out to the truck and we got in. Our drive to dinner was silent but I didn’t mind.

We arrived at some nondescript building and Gage quickly got out of his seat. There was a small pit of nerves pooling in the base of my stomach and I didn’t know if it was because I was on a date with Gage, or if it was the paranoia of being in public.

Gage opened my door for me and helped me out of the truck. One of his hands was on my waist, and the other was holding my hand to help me down. I immediately warmed at the feel of his skin on mine.

“Where are we?” I asked. We were literally alone in a small parking lot, and the only building in front of us was a giant concrete one, with no windows. A small part of me couldn’t help but think that this was all a ruse.

“Always impatient,” Gage mumbled. I rolled my eyes at him but followed when he led me to an emergency exit door.

“Are we breaking into a building?” I whispered, my eyes wide. Gage narrowed his eyes at me.

“You watch too many crime shows, Coraline,” he said, then produced a key from his pocket. He opened the door and led me inside. I locked the door behind me. We were then suddenly trapped in the dark and all I could feel was Gage’s hand in mine.

“Gage?” I whispered, “Seriously, if you’re going to kill me in here then you shouldn’t have let me dress up.”

Gage just chuckled in response, and then let go of my hand, leaving me standing in the dark, alone. I wanted to scream.

“Trigger, I swear to God, if you don’t get back here right now, I’m going to kill you and feed your body to a pack of hungry wolves.”

Gage didn’t answer, instead I heard something click, and then a hundred lights turned on. I squinted as my eyes got used to the light, then my mouth dropped as I took in my surroundings.

Gage was standing on the opposite side of the vast room, his hand over a light switch.

We were standing in a room with a hundred little lightbulbs suspended from the ceiling, and on the walls were different pieces of graffiti art.

I was speechless as my eyes spilled over the different strokes and colors. Gage walked up to me slowly and wound an arm around my waist.

“I’ll take it that you like it?” he asked. I flipped my eyes up to his impossibly tall figure and nodded.

“It’s beautiful. How did you manage to get a key to this place?”

Gage shrugged. “I know the owner’s brother.”

I nodded slightly, and then Gage led me forward. I figured out that we were in a gallery, and the only art on the walls was graffiti. It was beautiful. There were about six rooms with art on the walls.

We walked through slowly, admiring everything. I was in complete awe.

Some depicted elephants and other African wildlife. Another wall showed a small dark-skinned boy playing hopscotch on a background of Arabic words. Others were colorful abstract pieces, and some depicted rappers who had passed away.

The one directly in front of us was so detailed that it looked textured. Colors were layered and it looked bumpy. I wanted to reach up to touch the wall but stopped myself. I wanted to feel it for myself but was unsure if that kind of thing was okay. I shot Gage a careful glance, to which he just gave me a half grin and nodded.

“Really? I can touch them?” I asked, my voice low. Gage nodded and took my hand.

“This one is made to be felt by the audience.” He placed it on the wall in front of us and pressed it onto the artwork. I gasped. I could feel every pattern and every textile within the piece.

It was like nothing I’d ever felt before.

Gage then led me into the final room. There was only one painting in that room, because the opposite wall was a fully glass pane, and in front of it sat a small table dressed up for dinner for two.

The artwork showed a girl with dark hair, and covering her eyes was a wrinkled blue bandana. It was beautiful and I was in love with the brush strokes and the definition of her features.

My mouth dropped and I turned to Gage in shock.

He had gone to so much trouble.

“You could have just taken me to a normal restaurant,” I whispered. Gage gave me a small shrug and shook his head.

“Not really. You’re still on lockdown, technically. So, I decided you needed something to entertain you and figured you’d like a night out. I needed a private place for dinner, so here we are,” he said.

Without another word, Gage pulled out one of the seats and I sat down. The table was set, but there were no meals around. I looked at Gage in question and he just cocked an eyebrow at me.

Then he left me in silence. I picked up a breadstick from the table as I watched him walk away through a side door. I could see his surroundings inside were the telltale shiny silver of stainless steel. The gallery must have had many functions if it had a need for a kitchen.

Gage returned moments later carrying two plates and two beers. I smiled as he placed the drinks on the table, then placed the plates down. He pulled the covers off them to reveal some kind of delicious looking stew.

My mouth practically watered. If Gage had made this, it was sure to taste amazing.

“What is it?” I asked, curious. Gage gave me his half smirk as he opened the two beers.

“Lamb and Orzo Stew. My mother called it _Giouvetsi_. It’s a lamb and pasta stew with shallots, red wine, and homemade tomato sauce.”

Gage raised an eyebrow at me and I shut my mouth. “Dig in,” he said, motioning to our food. I nodded and picked up my fork.

I took a large bite of the stew and honestly almost wet my pants. It was amazing. Gage’s cooking was too good to be true. I suppressed a moan at my next bite, and Gage stifled his chuckles.

I rolled my eyes at him and we ate in silence. When we had both finished our meals, I picked up my beer, playing with the cap in my other hand.

“So, is this what you were doing all day?” I asked. Gage paused and gave me a short look.

“I spent the last few hours preparing this meal, yes,” he said. I frowned. He was being purposefully vague.

“And before that?” I asked, I couldn’t help the suspicion leaking into my voice.

Gage sighed, knowing I wasn’t going to let it go. “I was sorting out some club business.”

“Elaborate,” I demanded, my voice firm. Gage sighed.

“The cartel wants us to transport drugs to Georgia.”

I frowned. “You said no, right?”

Gage sighed. “I told them we weren’t interested in cartel business, but they’re not ones to take no for an answer. So, we’re keeping an eye on them for a while.”

I nodded and then we were back to sitting in silence. I felt like I’d ruined dinner, so I looked down at the bottle cap in my hand again and began fidgeting. I saw gage get out of his seat from my peripheral and he walked back to the kitchen.

When I was alone, I sighed and frowned. I was such an idiot. We had been having a good time and dinner was great, and I just completely ruined it by being a nosy bitch. When Gage returned, he was holding a plastic container.

He motioned for me to get up, and so I did, following him back through the gallery.

“Where are we going? What about cleaning up?” I asked. Gage just shrugged.

“Well, I figured we could go and have dessert somewhere else. I have someone coming to clean the place anyway, so we should get going.”

My eyes widened slightly, but I followed him out of the gallery and back to the truck. He opened the passenger door and waited for me to be seated before he shut it behind me. Then he took his own seat behind the wheel. He handed me the clear box and I looked down at it.

“Brownies?” I asked. Gage nodded, a small smirk on his face and I grinned. I loved brownies.

Then he took us out of the parking lot and began driving around. I had no idea of my surroundings, as I didn’t often come to Miami, so I really didn’t know where we were going. Until I recognized the road.

He was heading back to his house. We rocked up in the garage and I got out, confused. Gage just gave me a small grin and raised his eyebrow. He opened the front door and gestured for me to walk inside.

“After you,” he said. I nodded, still confused, but complied anyway. I took off my shoes and then followed him out onto the balcony, then he revealed an opening I hadn’t noticed, that led to a staircase going down to the beachfront.

I followed him down until my toes curled in the soft white sand below. I watched Gage sit down on the sand and followed after him, handing him the dessert.

“So, why here?” I asked. Gage just shrugged.

“It’s got a great view,” was his simple reply and I looked up at the dark sky. The stars looked bright and I smiled.

Gage popped open the brownies and held them out to me. I smiled and took one, taking a bite happily. The flavors burst in my mouth and my eyes fluttered closed as I gave a soft moan of appreciation.

I looked up at the sky in silence, chewing on my dessert. I had a million thoughts rolling around my head.

_Why had Gage invited me out tonight when he’d seemed so uninterested before?_

_Why had he gone to so much effort tonight?_

_Why had he kissed me before?_

_Why didn’t he push me away on the boat yesterday?_

_Why was he so damn hot and cold with everything between us?_

I sighed and turned to Gage. I needed answers, and he wasn’t getting out of them this time. Only, when I turned to look at him, I realized he was already staring at me.

I frowned, pausing, before phrasing my question correctly.

“Why did you take so long to kiss me?” I asked. My voice was barely a whisper. I was desperate for this answer. I wouldn’t let him walk away from this conversation anymore.

He tore his eyes away from mine.

I watched Gage as he sighed. I watched his eyes grow hard and I watch his walls flare up. I watched him tense and become defensive, so before he could shut me down with some noncommittal answer, I placed a hand on his forearm.

He looked back at me, his eyes searching mine. He needed to see that I needed the truth from him. When he saw what I wanted, he sighed and ripped a hand through his hair.

“Your brother,” he finally admitted, after what seemed like years.

I frowned. “What does Lucas have to do with you and me?”

Gage let out an exhale of frustration. “Everything, Coraline.”

I removed my hand from his arm. I was beyond confused. “I don’t understand what you mean.”

Gage sighed. He was silent for a while before finally answering me.

“I met you when I was thirteen, Coraline. You were ten. Your brother was my best friend, and I had to listen to him for years, talk about how innocent you were, and that no one would ever be good enough for you.

“I listened to every threat Lucas made to any boy who ever even looked your way. You were so young, but there was just something about you that always intrigued me. When I started high school, I found myself becoming jealous over people you hung out with. Which was crazy, because you were eleven years old.

“It was ridiculous for me to be feeling that way about you. I loved you like you were my little sister.”

I winced at those words. I had never once thought of him as my brother, because I’d always had a crush on him.

“So, I forced myself to ignore you, and ignore your friends. But, you were inescapable. You were my best friend’s little sister, and you lived at his house. You lived in the house where I spent most of my teenage life.

“When you became a freshmen, I was a senior. You were a child, and I had these unexplainable feelings for you. I didn’t know if I wanted to protect you out of a misguided sense of brotherhood, or if I wanted you for myself.

“But, either way, I couldn’t act on anything. Lucas was so protective of you, and because I was his best friend, I had to share his mindset. I had to agree with what he said, because I knew he’d kill me if he actually knew what I thought of you.

“When my parents got divorced, I saw what men do to the women that they love. And I wanted to save you from that. I wanted to save you from me, because I knew I was damned to repeat my father’s mistakes.

“The moment I was initiated into the club, I knew I’d leave after graduating. I couldn’t risk hurting you that way, and I couldn’t risk betraying the wishes of my best friend.

“So, I left. And I thought ten years would be long enough away from you. I thought that you’d have found someone else while I was away. I thought you’d get yourself out of this damn club and into a legitimate business. I thought you’d get yourself away from this life and into something better, because you deserved it.

“I thought that enough time away from you would convince you that I wasn’t coming back, so you could find someone else who was better for you. Because for years I endured the way you looked at me.

“I knew what you wanted, and I knew how you saw me. But you were a kid, and I couldn’t do that to Lucas.

“I still can’t do that to him. And when I came home, I thought I was over you. But then I saw you in my room and every single thing I had felt for you as a child came rushing back, and I couldn’t escape you.

“I’m not strong enough to go away again, Coraline. But I can’t be with you because it will only hurt you.”

Gage wasn’t looking at me as his finished his explanation, and my jaw was officially on the floor.

_Had Gage just told me that he’d shared my feelings for as long as I had?_

Then I glared at him. I pulled myself over until I was straddling his lap. I cupped his jaw and stared into his eyes with ferocious confidence.

“You listen to me, Gage Emerson. You might be the biggest idiot on the entire planet.” Gage rolled his eyes at me but I just made him look at me. “But, you are _not_ your father, and you never will be. And screw my brother. He does not decide who walks in and out of my life… I do. So, if you want this as much as I do, then be a man and own up to it.”

Gage watched me carefully, before I saw his eyes glaze over. He made his choice, and I felt his hands cup my hip bones.

He leant upwards as I leant forward. Our lips crashed together and my eyes slid shut. His mouth was hot against mine as I gripped him. My hands moved around his head to grasp at his baby hairs, making him rumble in the back of his throat slowly.

He tasted like chocolate, as I moved my hands down his chest until they rested at his waist.

Then I grasped the hem of his shirt and began to lift it. Gage tensed, but eventually let me pull the crew neck over his head. My eyes fell on the swell of his chest and it was in that moment that I realized how misguided and naïve I’d been.

For ten years I’d been in love with a boy; but before me sat a Man. He was world weary and covered in scars. And I realized that my teenage puppy love had nothing on the feelings now blooming in my chest for this man.

He was everything.

Everything.

.

**You guys aren’t ready for the next chapter**


	24. 23

**CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE**

***mature content warning***

**Coraline**

He tasted like chocolate, as I moved my hands down his chest until they rested at his waist.

Then I grasped the hem of his shirt and began to lift it. Gage tensed, but eventually let me pull the crew neck over his head. My eyes fell on the swell of his chest and I lowered my lips to his collarbone, dragging them over the tattoo there. Then I moved up to the spot below his ear and I kissed along his jawline.

His fingers dug into the skin of my thighs as my legs straddled him. I pressed a small kiss to the corner of his lips before dragging my eyes up to meet his.

This was his last chance to back out.

His eyes were filled with lust as they hardened, focusing on my lips. I crashed them back to his as my hands ran down his sides. He moved one of his own up to the zipper of my shirt at the base of my neck.

He dragged it down slowly and I practically moaned at the way he was teasing me. I could feel how much he wanted this, and ground my ass against it. It made him freeze and grab my waist.

He gave me a warning growl, nipping at my bottom lip, before finishing the zip. He then placed his hands at the hem of my shirts, and broke the mesh of our lips to quickly pull the shirt over my head and discard it to the side.

His eyes darkened as they fell on the black lace bra I was wearing. His thumb slowly traced over the wings of my eagle before he looked back up at me.

He surged forward and pressed his lips to my jugular vein in a hot, rushed kiss. I moaned, throwing my head back and arching my breasts into him.

“Gage,” his name slipped from my lips in a soft whimper and I smiled at the response I felt from him, as his hands moved up to grip the sides of my ribs. He dragged his teeth along my vein slightly before running back over it with his tongue.

When his lips left my neck, I looked back down at him. I grinned and claimed his lips again hungrily. He placed his hands in my hair, massaging me into our kiss. His lips split mine open and he plunged his tongue into my mouth. I could taste the sour of the beer he’d had at dinner, and the sweet of our dessert.

I mewled softly as his teeth sunk slowly into my bottom lip, dragging it through his teeth. Then his mouth left mine and suddenly he was kissing the rise of my breasts.

His lips were pressed over the swell of my skin, tracing the valley between them. My hands were in his hair, holding him there as I felt his teeth enclose around the skin of my right breast and start sucking.

His tongue and his teeth laved over the skin, leaving what I knew would become a deep purple bruise by the morning. My hands moved from his hair to his arms and my fingers sunk into the muscles of his upper arms. He shifted beneath me slightly and I felt him grow. I couldn’t take it anymore.

I needed him.

So, I pulled away from our kiss and looked into his eyes. His hair was disheveled and his lips were plump. I grinned and slid off him, to which he frowned.

“Catch me if you can,” I whispered, taunting him. Gage’s eyes slid over with the challenge, and I felt myself become completely aroused by this new sense of confidence in him.

He was sexy as hell when he was like this.

And I knew it was only about to get better so I took off up the stairs. He was close behind me, and by the time I made it to the balcony, his arms enclosed around my waist. He slammed me up against the doorframe to inside and I cursed at the slight pain in my back, but his lips were on mine once again and my hands cupped his face.

He picked up my thighs and I wrapped them around his waist as he pressed himself into me. He let out a low groan as I pulled at his hair. Then my fingers roved their way down his chest. They skimmed over the scratch of hair on his pecs, over his stiff nipples, and over the hard ripples of his abdomen.

Until my fingers reached the button of his riding jeans. Our lips broke and I looked into his eyes sincerely. “Last chance,” I whispered, searching his eyes for any kind of regret.

There was none, so as I popped the button on his jeans, his mouth was back on my chest and I giggled. I slid the zipper of his pants down and began dragging the waistline over his firm ass.

His fingers had found their way to the clasp on my own pants. He flicked the button and slid them off me too.

I unwrapped my legs from his waist and let my pants fall to the ground. Before I could do the same to him, he picked me up and wrapped me back around him. His lips were on mine with hurried efficiency as he pulled me away from the doorframe and began walking us towards his room.

My legs cinched around him to stop myself from slipping and my arms wound around his neck, resting my arms on his muscular shoulders. His arms were under the curve of my ass, holding me up as he walked. Our eyes were closed and our lips were sealed together, so I knew he was retracing his steps from memory.

He pushed open the door to his bedroom and shuffled us inside. Then he threw me down onto his bed, allowing me to let out a shocked gasp. He slammed the door and I grinned as he shrugged his jeans off, left only in his briefs. I watched his jeans pool on the floor before he stalked towards me.

I lay back on the bed, my head resting on his pillow. Gage lay himself over the top of me and I closed my eyes again. I could feel him on the inside of my thigh and I gasped when he shifted slightly, rubbing himself against me.

He groaned as my fingers dug into the skin at his back. I flipped us over so that I was on top of him. I sat up, straddling him and effectively releasing my lips from his kiss prison. His hands immediately rested at my waist but I moved them up and behind me to the clasp of my bra.

Gage fiddled with the clasp for a second before getting it undone and I let it fall. Gage’s eyes narrowed in on my naked chest and a shiver of anticipation ran through me as I watched him lean forward.

His eyes were zeroed in on my dusky nipples that were hardening at the pure thought of this man. He moved his hands from around my back to my chest, weighing the mounds in his palms.

An exhale of satisfaction slipped through my lips as I arched my back and Gage began massaging my breasts. A gasp wracked through me when he ran the pads of both his thumbs over my sensitive nipples.

I felt a whimper at the base of my throat and my eyes fell closed as I let him play with my chest. My hands were in his hair, pushing his mouth to where I wanted it against my heated skin, and he quickly understood what I wanted.

His lips fell to the love bite he’d made earlier and attached themselves again. He started biting and sucking, before he finally leant back and kissed the small mark.

I knew that thing wouldn’t be going away for like a week.

Then his mouth enclosed over one of my nipples and I gasped. His teeth raked across it, leaving me a quivering mess before his tongue swirled around the erect nub. I moaned as he licked and sucked at the small point. His fingers massaged and pulled at my other nipple.

When he finished, he released me and leaned back and blew a cool breath over the hard nub, making me shiver, before he paid the same attention to my other nipple. His hand moved to massage and pull at my first nipple.

I could practically feel my wetness seeping down my thighs at this point. I needed some kind of release as his mouth assaulted my chest.

My grip on his hair was making my knuckles white, and the soft mewl coming from my mouth was only making him more voracious.

I couldn’t help it, and I needed friction, so I ground my center against the sizeable bulge in his briefs. Gage let out a pained groan and bit into my nipple. I gasped and moaned, grinding again.

Gage growled and flipped us over so that I was beneath him again. His lips left my chest, but not before blowing over my nipple.

“Don’t do that,” he whispered, his voice husky and thick. I grinned, knowing I’d made him feel aroused beyond belief.

Then I felt his member press against the front of my thong, and I couldn’t help it, but my body froze. Gage noticed, and gave me a concerned look. He made direct eye contact and I frowned a little.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, his voice soft. His hands caressed my waist and my hips gave an involuntary thrust at the air, wanting friction.

“I… uhm. I’m technically a virgin,” I whispered. Gage raised an eyebrow at me and I tripped over my words, trying to get them all out at once.

“I’ve only ever done stuff with Roz, and even then, no one could ever hold a candle to you, so I never let her stick anything up there. She mostly just ate me out every time we were together,” I said, biting my lip.

Gage gave me a long look in silence, and I began to second guess myself, until his lips descended on mine. He thrust in tongue into my mouth with hungry fervor, fucking me with his tongue for just a second before pulling away again.

“Do you know how sexy that is?” he asked. “Do you have any idea what this piece of information does to my ego, Coraline?”

I blushed, which I didn’t think would be possible in this situation especially since I hadn’t blushed in everything we’d done up until now.

Gage held my chin between his thumb and forefinger.

“I’m so glad that I’m your first,” he said, his voice low and his eyes dark. “You have nothing to worry about. I will be as gentle as I can, and we can stop as soon as you’re uncomfortable with anything.”

Nodded at the sincerity in his eyes but then tilted my chin up, offering my lips to him again. He took the bait and devoured my mouth. I moaned softly, sucking on his tongue before he released me again.

Then he kissed his way down my neck and down the valley of my breasts. He kissed down my abdomen and dipped his tongue into my navel.

My core clenched in anticipation of his tongue in other places. His hands moved to my hips and gently grasped the straps of my thong.

“You’re the first person I’ve had in about three years,” he confessed. “I’ve been waiting for this for a long time. I just never thought I’d be so lucky,” he whispered. Then he pulled the straps over my hips and down my legs, revealing my core.

His eyes darkened at the sight and I wanted to clench my legs together to hide how excited he made me. When he’d taken my thong off my feet, he grasped my ankle, and bent my leg at the knee.

I gasped when he pressed his lips softly to the inside of my ankle, then moved his lips up my leg. His stubble was scratching at my skin, and I’d never thought myself a fan of facial hair before him. But, there was something unbelievably sexy about this.

His hands moved under my hips and pushed up my ass as he made it closer to my apex. By pushing up my ass, my back was arched and my slit was open to him.

He let out a slow breath across my folds, which were glistening with my arousal. I was practically dripping for him. I could almost see his ego praising and swelling through his eyes.

I moved to roll my eyes but didn’t get the chance as he literally pounced, and my eyes rolled themselves into the back of my head.

I moaned as his mouth came around the small numb at the top of my sex. He flicked my bud with his tongue, making me convulse. My hands flew to his hair and pressed him into me.

He moved down, his lips tracing the outline of my pussy lips, and when his tongue found my hole, his nose was nudging my clit. I practically screamed when he thrust his tongue inside me.

His was definitely longer than Roz’s.

I mewled a string of curses and incoherent words as his tongue made me lose my mind. My eyes had rolled so far back in my head that I was afraid I’d go blind.

Hilarious. Yes, someone ate my pussy so well that it blinded me.

I gasped when his thumb moved up and began flicking at my clit at a steady pace. But, as he sped up, I felt something bloom in my core.

I was burning up and I held my breath as everything steamrolled into me before I really even knew what was happening.

I managed to screech Gage’s name as his Hercules tongue brought me to a shattering climax. I gasped for breath as pleasure wracked through me. My legs felt numb but I could feel them clenched around Gage’s head, keeping him steady against my pussy folds.

His tongue was still thrusting in and out of my sweet hole like a goddamn dick and I wanted to just about die. My hips rolled without my permission and I felt my orgasm split into a second, smaller one.

My breathing was hard when my thighs finally unclenched and I let Gage up for air. He gave me a full-blown grin, which took my breath away for the second time. I had never seen that from him before.

He looked like a cat that got all the goddamn cream.

Pun fucking intended.

I gasped as I came down from my high and Gage moved himself up my body. His arms came up by my head and he moved a strand of hair from my face, then he pressed his lips to mine, allowing me to taste myself.

I was a mix between sweet and tangy, and I moaned as Gage pressed myself onto my tongue. He intertwined our tongues until I couldn’t breathe. His thumb pressed down on my sensitive nub, driving me absolutely crazy as I felt a new gush of wetness coat my pussy lips.

I pulled myself away from him and he began kissing the shell of my ear.

My legs came up around his waist and my feet started pushing at the waist band of his briefs. I couldn’t take it any longer. No more teasing.

I needed him.

He finally understood what I wanted, so he lifted his head and looked square into my eyes. I could see the question there, wanting to know if I was definitely sure about this decision.

I gave him a soft smile and cupped his jaw, kissing him sweetly. Then as I pulled away, I rose an eyebrow at him.

“But if you don’t get these goddamn briefs off in two seconds I’ll change my mind.”

Gage chuckled on top of me at my brazen attitude and helped me get them off. Then his junior fell against my thigh and I gasped.

I hadn’t looked down yet, but I could feel that he was fucking huge. I should have considered this. He was a foot and a half taller than me, of course his junk was never going to fit. How could I have ever kidded myself that it would?

I ignored the warning bells alarming in the back of my head and closed my eyes. This was Gage. And I wanted this.

I smoothed my hand down his chest and abs until I reach his hip bone. Then I reached for him. He was smooth and soft, but also hard in a way I’d never felt before. He was firm, and extremely wide. So much so that my fingers didn’t even meet.

My hand moved to his base, trying to judge his length, and we both gasped when I squeezed his base.

Gage let out a grunt when my hand slid back to his head, and I smoothed my thumb over his slit.

He hissed when I moved my hand back down, then up again, repeating my action with his slit. He yanked my hand away and I frowned. “Enough,” he growled.

“I’m... uh, I’m sorry, I guess it was just instinct,” I whispered. Gage moaned as his dick pressed into my thigh.

“It’s not that, Coraline. I definitely liked that. It’s just that I want to be inside you when I come, not before,” he admitted. For the second time that night, I blushed.

Well, that fed _my_ ego.

“Condom?” I whispered. Gage nodded and reached for the top drawer in his bedside table. I frowned before quickly ignoring why he had so many rubbers handy.

I decided I didn’t care, just as long as he was gloved.

He pressed his thumb into my clit as he rolled the latex over his pulsing member. My mouth was watering and I wanted to wrap my lips around him, but maybe another day.

My breath hitched at the anticipation and the steady stroke of his thumb against my nub, then he leaned forward and pressed his head to my folds.

I gasped at the feeling. I knew that as soon as he was inside me, I’d feel full. His thumb kept circling my nub as he ran his dick up and down my folds, coating the latex in my wetness.

I moaned when his mouth founds its way to mine and his tongue enveloped mine.

This man made me believe in miracles, and my eyes fell closed as he began to push his head inside my opening. I gasped at my own tightness, and the resistance I felt to accept him inside me.

Gage clenched his teeth and rubbed furiously at my little nub with his thumb. My back arched and my breasts pressed into his chest. I could feel my hardened pebs rubbing along his chest hair.

“Relax, _moró_ , you’re too tense for this to work,” he whispered, his hand caressing my jawline as he kissed me. I sighed and let myself fall into the pillows, releasing the tension in my shoulders that I hadn’t realized I’d been holding.

My stomach clenched as he pushed a little further in. There was a huge pinch of pain as my inner walls clenched around his impossible size. There was no way he could get any further, it just wouldn’t work.

Then Gage distracted me by kissing around to my ear and sucking on the skin just under my earlobe. I sighed in surprise. I hadn’t known that that spot could feel erotic, and yet, the gentle suckling of his lips had me panting.

Gage pushed himself in for the last time and I gasped as I felt his base brush my lips. I couldn’t believe I’d somehow managed to fit him inside me, and couldn’t believe the feeling coursing through my veins.

The unbelievable pain of breaking that final barrier in his last thrust, had absolutely nothing on the amount of pleasure singing through my blood. Black began to dot my vision and I moaned as my fingers clung to Gage in whichever spot I could reach him.

He stayed still, trying to let me adjust, but eventually he groaned.

“ _Moró_ , I need to move,” he whispered, his voice tight and thick. I nodded and felt him slowly begin to move out of me. My inner walls protested the disappearance of his dick and I could only moan again when he slid home.

His thrusts were slow and calculated, but they were full and driving me crazy. My back arched again as I welcomed him inside me. Then before I knew it, his pace was increasing.

The thumb on my clit was rubbing with a bruising force, but all I could focus on was the zing of pleasure that it was sending straight to my core. Gage pulsed inside of me and I could imagine he was practically touching my womb.

He wrapped a hand around one of my knees and pushed up my leg, holding it there. I whimpered at the force of this new position, and the wave of pleasure that it brought me.

I could feel him in new places, and it was driving me batshit.

One of my hands trailed down to his naked ass. I wanted to feel his muscles flex with each thrust inside me, and that only increased my arousal ten fold.

I moaned as my inner walls welcomed him, and I could feel my orgasm building up inside my stomach. I rolled my hips, meeting his thrusts and he grunted. The hand that wasn’t holding up my leg was on my hip, guiding me.

Before my climax hit. I gripped Gage’s shoulders and flipped us over. I wanted to be on top. My hands gripped the headboard as I felt myself sink down onto him.

I winced a little but ultimately ignored the pain as I felt him rest deeper inside me than before. I gasped and ground against his base, feeling him twitch inside me. I moaned as I lifted myself slowly, then sat back down on him.

I could feel every ridge of my inner walls gliding along the veins of his shaft as I sat down.

“ _Gamó_ ,” he cursed as his hands came to my hips, helping to guide my pace. I threw my head back as I let myself glide down on him. Then gasped as I felt my climax take over. I rode him quickly and in a sloppy fashion as I grew wild with the need to come undone.

I was bucking against him as I rode out the last aftershocks of my orgasm, then Gage flipped us back over and drilled into me.

I could only moan at the swift slide and release of his cock. My multiple orgasms had only made my pussy slippery and more malleable. Gage lifted both my legs and rested my ankles over his shoulders, allowing me to feel him in a different way as he pounded into me.

I almost screamed when I felt my next orgasm hit me hard. I hadn’t even felt it coming. Gage let out a grunt as his thrusts became sloppy, then I felt his cock twitch and he tensed up as I felt him release.

My eyes fell shut in pleasure until I heard the words dripping from his lips.

 _“_ _Zo edó áthlia kai spasména me epithymía, Diapernátai, sta ostá,”_ he whispered, his eyes shut in pleasure. _“Me pikría aftoú tou theoú pou édose odynirí agápi. O fíloi, aftó to páthos kánei ta ákra mou limp,”_ he mumbled. _“_ _Kai tréchei páno mou. Óli mou i agápi mou gia sas, i pio evgenikí agápi mou.”_

When he finished, I don’t think he even knew he’d said anything, but I was in complete shock.

His words had been beautiful, despite me not knowing what the hell he’d said. Gage released my legs and then almost fell forward with exhaustion. He caught himself before he crushed me, and I winced at the painful tug inside my tender walls.

I pulled Gage towards me and pressed my lips against his. He groaned and met my kiss hungrily. But he didn’t stay for long, instead he sat up and pulled out of me steadily. My stomach clenched at the empty feeling of not having him inside me, but then I felt my orgasm begin to seep from my folds.

I watched as Gage slid off the condom, tied a knot in the end, and threw it in the bed, then he pulled my hips up and stared down at the juices leaking from my pussy lips. I was about to protest what I knew was coming next, but I didn’t get the chance, because his mouth descended on mine.

His lips pulled my clit into his mouth and his tongue laved against me as he lapped up my release. I let out a string of soft mewls as I reveled in the feeling of his tongue softly thrusting and pulling the last bit of energy left inside me.

He happily drank at my juices, cleaning me up with his talented tongue. My hips rolled into my last wave of pleasure, and I let out a last sigh of content.

When Gage was finished, he released my core and slid up my body. He lay on his back and pulled me onto his naked chest. I wrapped my arms around his waist, resting my head on his chest as I sighed.

He pressed his lips to mine sweetly and I sighed into his embrace. Gage wrapped his arms around my waist, holding me firmly against him.

I wanted to stay like that forever.

I looked up at his face, which finally looked calm for the first time since he’d been home. I didn’t want to break the silence, but I also wouldn’t be myself if I didn’t.

“Thank you,” I whispered, kissing a soft kiss to his chest. I felt a rumble run through his chest as he looked down at me.

“No, thank _you_ ,” he said, kissing my forehead.

Then I let sleep fall over me, promising myself that I’d ask Gage to translate whatever it was that he’d said when he came, in the morning.

I couldn’t believe that I’d just had sex with Gage Emerson.

I couldn’t believe that I’d finally been with the only person that I’d ever really wanted to be with.

And nothing could make me let go of him.

.

**I’ve sat on this moment since day one.**

**(p.s. this translation is very _very_ wrong, so you won't find it anywhere rip sorry...)**


	25. 24

**CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR**

**Coraline**

I woke up with the sun, again.

And I couldn’t help the absolutely face breaking grin that stretched across my lips at the memory of the night before. Gage had exceeded expectations and more. He had made me feel things that I didn’t even know were possible.

I tilted my chin so that I could look up at him. Our legs were twisted together, and our arms were slung around the other’s waist.

We hadn’t moved for most of the night, so my head was still resting on his chest.

As I looked up at his sleeping face, I was able to appreciate everything about him. He was so much more relaxed in his sleep than when he was awake. He didn’t have any worries, and nothing was plaguing him.

I sighed softly as I ignored the pinch of soreness between my legs.

Last night had been amazing, but it was definitely new territory for me, and he would definitely take some getting used to.

I reached a hand up and trailed a finger over the curve of his Phoenician nose, and the just of his strong jawline. I smiled in amusement as his eyebrows creased at my feather light touch.

He let out a heavy exhale and I froze. Then I trailed my finger down his jaw, neck and collarbone, before tracing each of the ten strokes that he’d inked into his skin for his military service.

I felt his hand squeeze my hip and I looked up. He had one eye cracked open and was watching me. I smiled and let my palm flatten over the skin of his pectoral. His lip quirked slightly as he looked down at me.

I couldn’t help the small blush that bloomed on the apples of my cheeks.

“Good morning,” I whispered, not really wanting to break the comfortable silence, but also wanting to hear that gruff morning voice that I loved so much.

Gage didn’t answer me, but he pulled me up until we were face to face and my eyes stared into his. He let out a low chuckle and pressed his lips to mine. My eyes fluttered closed as I reveled in the sweet pressure of my mouth on his.

He kissed me slowly with his mouth closed, and when he retreated, he looked dead into my eyes.

“Good morning, _moró_ ,” he said, his voice hoarse and husky. I shivered as his breath fanned my face and his hands gripped at my waist.

I smiled as I could feel him against my leg, but ignored it, because I was still sore and not quite sure I was ready for anything more just yet.

“Did you sleep well?” he asked. I smiled as my head rested on my pillow. My hands ghosted to his shoulders and down his arms, tracing over his tattoos.

“Mmm, like a baby,” I whispered. Gage gave me a small grin and rolled us over so that he was on top of me. I giggled as he pressed himself into my leg, but leant forward and pressed his lips to mine.

He smelt like sea salt.

When his lips abandoned my own, he began pressing them in sweet peppered kisses over my jawline, neck, and then finally down to the dark lovebite on the swell of my breast.

I gasped softly when he bit into it softly, before licking over it and finally giving it one last kiss.

“Any soreness?” he asked, while he kissed back up to my lips.

I frowned. “A little,” I admitted. Gage paused for a moment, then looked up and kissed my nose softly. Then he stared into my eyes and I could see the sincerity there.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, but I just rolled my eyes and gave him a small smile.

“It’s fine, it’s to be expected, right?” I said. I watched Gage sigh, annoyed with himself that he’d hurt me but I just rolled my eyes. I buried a hand in his hair and guided his lips back down to meet my own.

I kissed him forcefully, trying to prove to him that I really was fine.

“You’re being stupid,” I laughed when we separated. Gage just glared at me and I rolled my eyes. “Stop worrying. I loved every second of it,” I whispered, trailing my fingers through his curls.

Gage’s eyes fell shut as he leant back down and kissed me again. I rolled us over so that I was on top. Then I pulled myself off him and got off the bed, standing up.

I grinned down at him and ran a hand through my hair. I was fully aware that I was standing naked before him, and I didn’t care. I watched as Gage placed an arm behind his head and leant back, watching me with hungry eyes.

I just smiled and licked my lips a little.

“But, as much as I want to stay in bed with you all day, I don’t think my body can handle it,” I admitted. Gage didn’t say anything; his eyes were still trained on my body and I just rolled my eyes.

“I’ll be in there,” I said, pointing towards the bathroom. “You can join me, if you want,” I said, biting my bottom lip seductively. I watched a surge of lust flow into Gage’s eyes as he watched me walk to the bathroom door.

I made sure to sway my hips all the way there, before shutting the door behind me. I grinned as I made my way to the mirror. I took a look at myself, my fingers running through my hair and then over my lips.

I was a mess. My hair was tangled and my eyes were wide and dark. My lips were plump and bruised, and I could see the love bite on my chest.

It was very small, but it was extremely dark, and I knew that it would be there for days, if not weeks.

I giggled to myself at the memory of last night before getting into his shower stall. I turned on the water and let it cascade down my body. The water was warm and cathartic. I let it slide through my hair as I tried to massage the knots out of my shoulders.

Then I heard the shower door open behind me and I turned. I smiled up at Gage as he stood impossibly tall above me. His striking blue eyes were dark with lust as he placed his hands on my waist.

Then he dragged them down until they were under my ass. He picked me up, leaning my back against the wall as my legs wrapped around his waist. I watched the steady fall of water flatten the small hairs on his chest.

I couldn’t help it, so I pressed my lips to his chest, then up to the tattoo on his collarbone.

“This is really sexy, you know. I think that anyone who is brave enough to serve time for their country is a hero,” I said, giving him a sweet smile as my fingers traced the lines of his sergeant emblem. Gage didn’t answer me with words, but he tilted my head upwards and crashed his lips to mine under the stream of water.

I smiled into our slow kiss, wrapping my arms around his neck.

I could feel him pressed up against me, and I made the decision to ignore the dull pain between my legs. I needed him, and he needed me. So, I broke my kiss and told Gage that if he didn’t take me up against his shower wall then I’d probably die.

I’ll let your imagination assume how he reacted to that statement.

Let me just say that I’d be walking funny for the rest of the day.

.

After our shower, I could say that the both of us were most definitely clean. My dried off and got dressed. I pulled on my lingerie from yesterday, too lazy to go back to my room and find a pair of clothes, so I just stayed in my underwear.

I was about to walk out to the kitchen for an iced coffee when I heard Gage’s text tone.

I looked up at him and watched him frown as he reached for the device. Then I watched his eyes skim over the message, and glare.

“What’s going on?” I asked, my voice small.

Gage passed me his phone, allowing me to see the message as he pulled on his riding jeans. “Go get dressed, we have to leave.”

I nodded and read through the message. It was from Jax.

**Stalker angry that we refused to drop off Cora. Prospect Linc kidnapped. Get back ASAP. Church in two hours. – J**

My eyes widened and I gasped.

_They took Linc? Why?_

But I didn’t have time to really question anything as Gage threw a t-shirt my way. It was grey and I gave him an odd look, only to see that he was shoving all his shit into his bag.

“Come on, Coraline, cover your ass, we need to go.”

I glared at him for his choice of words but knew arguing wouldn’t do anything to help Linc so I pulled on the shirt and ran to my room. I started shoving my stuff into my bags and pulled on a pair of leather jeans.

Then I ran downstairs and picked up all of our discarded clothing from last night.

Fifteen minutes later, Gage and I were holed up in his truck, speeding out of the garage and onto the highway. Gage and I didn’t say anything to each other the whole way home, but when I saw that his foot hadn’t let up off the gas, I placed my hand over his.

He calmed down a bit, and I watched the needle on his speed drop a little, but he kept us steady.

I ran my thumb over the back of his hand, more to soothe myself than him, but it seemed to work a little. We were back in Okeechobee within an hour and a half.

Gage eventually slowed down to the speed limit when we made it to town. I was surprised that we hadn’t been pulled over by a highway officer, but I guess we were just lucky.

We made our way through town until we got to the gates of the compound. One of the prospects was manning the electric entrance and quickly let us in. As soon as Gage parked the truck, we were both out and storming into the clubhouse. I was shrugging on my cut, as was Gage, as we walked inside.

I spotted Luna in the kitchen, pacing slowly while an uneaten sandwich lay abandoned on the counter before her. When she saw us, she let out a sigh of relief and ran up to us. She enveloped me in a quick hug, squeezing me tight.

I was happy to see her too, she was the closest thing I had to a sister.

She pointed towards the giant closed doors of the club meeting room. “They’re all in there,” she whispered, gesturing towards the room, “I told them you’d kill them if they started without you, but I’m not allowed in so I don’t know what’s going on.”

I nodded and let go of her, then Gage and I walked up and slammed open the doors.

Thirty eyes landed on us and Lucas gave me a grave nod before we shut the doors behind us. Gage took his seat at Lou’s right hand, and I took my seat at the opposite head of the table.

“What the hell happened?” I demanded.

Lucas sighed and folded his hands in front of him on the table. “We didn’t show up to the drop off on Friday, obviously. We were on high alert here, I’m talking complete shutdown. And then Muggs sent two prospects out to buy beer, one of them was Linc. They were jumped outside the store and Linc was knocked out cold.

“He was dragged into the back of a van and they sped off. They sent the second prospect back here to spread the message.” Lucas looked livid in his recount of the story. I turned and I glared at Muggs.

He was staring at the ground.

“You were on lockdown and you sent them to buy _beer_? Are you fucking kidding me? How stupid can you be?” I glowered at the man who was more than twice my age.

Muggs glared at me. “Shut up, you little bitch,” Muggs sneered.

Before I could reply, Gage and Jax both slammed their knives point-down into the wooden table and stood at their feet. Lucas was glaring at Muggs.

“Talk that way again to my sister, and you’ll no longer be considered a member of this damn club, Muggs. You’re already on thin ice for this stunt,” Lucas glowered. Everyone’s eyes were on the older man as he heeded the advice of his president and put his head down.

I turned back to my brother. “So, what’s the damn plan to get him back?”

Lucas exhaled slowly. “The prospect got a hit on the number plate. Samual is hacking into the police database as we speak. He’ll soon have the records for the van, and their whereabouts. When we get a location, we’re going out to get our boy back. Hopefully he’s being kept at the same place as our girls, so we can kill two birds with one stone.”

I sighed. “They’ve been smart enough up until now, have you considered that they’ve used a van with plates because they want you to come to them? This could be an ambush, Tal,” I said.

Gage gave me a small nod and I raised an eyebrow at him. “We should scout it out first, see what we’re dealing with,” Gage agreed.

Lucas nodded and considered our proposal. “Agreed. We’ll assume a small group for scouting, see if it’s the real deal before we strike.”

“Even if Linc is where we find him, I think we need to be okay with he possibility that the girls won’t be there,” Jax admitted. “These guys have been too smart before now. I don’t think they’d be stupid enough to keep them all in the same place. I think Siren is right, I think this could be an ambush.”

Lucas nodded. “I agree, it all seems to easy. All in favor of a scout group? Let’s go around the room.”

Lucas was met with agreement from every member, including myself. Then he nodded and slammed the gavel down in its holster.

I quickly stood up from my seat and stormed from the room. I, no doubt, wouldn’t be included in the scout group, so I didn’t see a reason for me to stick around. When I saw Luna in the kitchen, still pacing, I filled her in on the plan. I then felt Gage’s presence behind me.

“You’re not scouting either?” I guessed. Gage nodded, his mouth in a thin line.

“Talon wants me to take you home. You’re still on lockdown and he still wants me with you at all times. I’ll have my phone on me so we’re in contact with the club. As of now we’re in a code red.”

I nodded and sighed, then gave Luna a quick hug and followed Gage out the door. We sat in silence in his truck until we pulled up at his house. Bullet was waiting for us happily inside and I was so glad to see him.

I had missed the furry goofball in our week away, luckily Jax had been looking after him for us. I threw myself onto the couch and tried to ignore the stress balling in my stomach.

Gage sat down beside me and held my hand. I leant my head on his shoulder and tried to ignore the guilt in my stomach.

Linc had been kidnapped because I hadn’t been traded off. This was my fault.

.

**Who saw it coming?**


	26. 25

**CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE**

**Coraline**

I rolled over on the soft sheets, my eyes cracking open when I felt the cold spot beside me. I sat up quickly, looking around the dark room. Where the hell was Gage?

We had fallen asleep in his room, and I definitely remember him being there. I lay back down onto the pillow, my head turning to catch the time on the alarm clock.

Three a.m.

I rubbed a hand over my eyes and kept looking around. There was a crack of light glowing under the bathroom door. A few minutes later, it was turned off and the door opened.

“Why are you dressed?” I whispered.

Gage looked down at me, frowning.

“I didn’t want to wake you. Lucas just got back from the scouting mission and he asked me to come to the club house,” he said, his voice gruff as he sat on the bed beside me.

I shot up. “Well, I’m awake now. I’ll come with you,” I said.

Gage shook his head, placing his hands on my shoulders and pushing me back down. “It’s late. I’ll be back before you wake up again tomorrow. Bullet can keep you company,” he whispered.

I pouted. I was being a child, but I didn’t want him to go anywhere.

“How am I supposed to sleep knowing you’re out there helping to find one of my best friends, and I’m just sitting here on my hands?” I grumbled.

Gage frowned but leaned down. He pressed his lips to mine softly and I cupped his face. I leant into the kiss, taking advantage of it to make him want to stay. He groaned when my tongue slipped past the seam of his lips.

He pulled away. “ _Skatá_ , Coraline. You’ll be the death of me.”

I rolled my eyes and turned away from him. “Fine, go ahead and leave me here.”

I heard Gage sigh from behind me before he pressed a searing kiss to my shoulder. My eyes closed as I submitted myself to the feeling of his hot lips on my skin. I sighed but didn’t roll back over.

“Just sleep, _moró_ , I’ll be here when you wake up,” he whispered, and then his hands left my skin and I was cold again. I felt Bullet jump up onto the bed and snuggle in beside me, then I heard the door click shut softly.

I slung my arm over the large dog and he reached up to lick my nose. I stroked his head before pulling my covers up a little higher. Then I heard the engine of Gage’s Harley start up, before his wheels crunched out of the driveway.

I sighed and closed my eyes, placing a chaste kiss on Bullet’s head. Then I let sleep fall over me, because the only other option was constant worry.

And that was sure to eat me alive.

.

When I woke the next morning, I was unsurprised that Gage still wasn’t home. I hadn’t expected him to be, despite his words during the night.

Club business didn’t run on a time schedule. You were there for however long it took to get the job done, and you didn’t take breaks.

I had known in my heart that Gage wouldn’t be back when he promised he would be. Thus, was the life of the MC.

I sighed as I got myself out of bed and through the shower. After cleaning myself up, I got dressed in riding jeans and a _Metallica_ t-shirt that had a few holes in it, and shoved my feet into my combat boots. I brushed out my hair, making it frizzy instead of wavy.

Then I made my way downstairs and made myself some toast for breakfast. I cooked two eggs on the stove while my toast was in the toaster. When everything was done, I spread avocado on my toast and then topped it with my eggs, sunny-side up.

I grinned and took it to the couch, taking a bite after turning on the morning news.

Bullet was seated on the couch beside me as I flipped through the channels. I came across some cartoon and decided it was better than nothing. I focused more on my food than anything else anyway. When I was finished, I leant back into the couch cushions and tried to focus on the children’s show, but couldn’t really bring myself to pay attention.

I kept checking the time on my phone every two seconds. Bullet had long ago abandoned me to go and play with a toy in the backyard.

After another hour of sitting in a daze and waiting for Gage to come home, Bullet came running back through his little doggy door.

He came and jumped onto the couch, sitting right beside me. I took one look at him and froze. He tried to nuzzle into my side but I shot up from my seat and backed away from him.

Clenched between his teeth was a single stemmed white rose.

I could feel my breakfast beginning to rise as my stomach churned. I wanted to be violently sick as I backed away from my sweet dog.

I didn’t know where the hell he’d found that flower, or if there was someone in the backyard, but I wanted to scream. I reached under the seat cushion of the lazy boy beside me and pulled out the Glock that I knew Gage kept there. Then I shrugged on my cut, which had been slung haphazardly over the back of the armchair.

I pushed the gun into the back waistband of my pants and pulled my phone from my pocket. I opened my contacts. I tried calling Luna, but she didn’t pick up, so I shot her a quick text.

**Bullet just ran into the living room with a white rose between his teeth. I’m freaked the fuck out and am coming over to the club house right now. I don’t feel safe here. -C**

When the text went through, I sent a similar one to Gage. Then, just to make sure I covered all my bases, found a pen and paper and wrote a note for Gage, in case he came home without checking his phone.

My breathing was ragged. Bullet had dropped the rose onto the floor and was now standing at my side, looking up at me with his tongue lolling out of the side of his mouth. I gave him a quick stroke across his head, because he didn’t know anything was wrong.

My Harley keys were hanging on a hook by the door, so I grabbed them and rushed outside, locking up. I swung a leg over the side of my bike, shoving my helmet over my giant cloud of hair, before gunning it out of the driveway.

I was heading straight for the club house. I was beyond freaked out.

My hands were shaking as I steered my bike, and my ass was sitting uncomfortably with the gun in the back of my pants. I rounded a corner and my eyes flicked to one of my rear vision mirrors.

I narrowed my eyes at the presence of a large black van. My heart beat increased, as did my panic. My stomach dropped as I tried to distract myself.

_It’s just a coincidence,_ I tried to convince myself. _You’re safe, just get to the clubhouse._

I tried to stabilize my ragged breathing, but my heart jumped as I realized the van was speeding up behind me. I was still a mile away from the compound.

The van came up beside me and I tried not to look their way. I wasn’t giving them the satisfaction of seeing me scared. But I noticed in my peripherals that the windows were tinted.

As we rounded another corner, the van swerved towards me. I cursed and swept my bike to the side. I had to make drastic measures so as to not fall off like last time.

The van stopped and swerved around, trapping me between them and the glass windows of one of the stores along the main strip of town. I sat still on my bike, not blinking as I kept my eyes on the van.

My heart was racing.

One of the side doors slid open and a man in a mask appeared. I cursed, trying to calm my furiously beating heart as I reached into the back of my jeans.

After pulling out the gun, I armed it and aimed at the man about to advance towards me. I shot the gun twice. The first bullet slammed into the door of the van, the sound making the man jump.

The second bullet got him square in the thigh and he went down like a sack of potatoes with a grunt. A second person jumped from the van and I shot again, catching them in the hip.

I slid off my bike and made it to the front entrance of the shop. Two more men slid from the van and I fired shots at them too, but missed.

Then I ran out of bullets. I quickly opened the door of the store and rushed inside. The clerk behind the counter gave me a scared look and lay down on the floor, letting me pass. I quickly rushed behind the counter and into the back room.

I had been in this store before, they sold china and dishware. I rushed through the back room until I came across an exit door. Rushing out, I found myself in an alley. I stuck my gun in my pants again and ran. One of the masked men was standing at the mouth of the alley, the only escape route, so I ran in the opposite direction.

I launched myself onto a dumpster and up over a retaining wall. On the other side of the wall was another opening, so I ran for that.

But when I got there, a guy jumped out of nowhere and grabbed me. He put a gloved hand over my mouth as I screamed. I tried going for my resistance moves, the same ones I’d pulled on the guy who had tried to kidnap me at the bar, but I didn’t get the chance.

I watched as his free hand pulled out a needle. I screamed and struggled to get away, but the steel thing was thrust into the side of my neck.

He pressed whatever liquid was in the needle into my veins and I felt myself immediately fall groggy. My eyesight began to blur and I felt dizzy.

I wanted to throw up.

My body became limp, and the man removed his hand from over my mouth. Then he threw me over his shoulder and my eyes fell shut as he shoved me into the back of his van.

My vision went dark when the door slid shut.

.

**Shit’s about to get fuckin’ real, guys.**


	27. 26

**CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX**

**Gage**

My eyes narrowed as I watched the flashing red and blue lights. I parked my bike in one of the available spaces before getting out and making my way into the club. I was here on Lucas’ orders, though I’d have much rather been curled around Coraline in my bed at home.

The Gallows were completely lit inside, which wasn’t normal for the club, especially at three in the morning, but it was also empty of party-goers. Instead, the stained floor was crowded with the many police officers currently surveying the space for evidence.

I scanned the room until my eyes landed on the police Chief, who was having a heated conversation with two of his deputies and a small, well-dressed Asian woman. I assumed that she was the detective for this case.

She had the familiarity of someone that I’d seen before, but she wasn’t from town. I was sure of that. Maybe she’d been on the news once or something.

I walked up to the group before stopping a few steps away. I leant against a discarded bar table, eavesdropping.

“—No evidence left behind. Whoever did this was completely professional,” the woman said.

“Diablos?” One of the deputies asked. I recognized him. He had flirted with Coraline on the night that she’d picked Jax and I up from the station after our fight with the Diablos.

“Not a chance. I’ve dealt with hundreds of their disputes before in Lorida and I’ve never come across anything like this. In my experience, MC deaths occur out of vengeance or a fight for status,” the woman quipped.

My eyebrow quirked at the female officer’s words. So, she was from Lorida, Diablos Territory. And while her deductions were completely wrong, she was doing pretty well with the evidence that they had.

Unfortunately, the police weren’t privy to the ins and outs of DireWolves business as of late, which meant that they knew nothing of Coraline’s stalker, or the men who kidnapped the girls and Linc. That also meant that they wouldn’t see the clues that I would.

I cast my eyes around the bar, looking over the reason that Lucas had called me out tonight. On top of the bar counter was one of our Prospects. He had only been young, fresh out of juvie, and he’d been on watch at the Gallows.

From what I’d heard, a witness had told the police that the boy had been jumped when taking out the trash, then was dragged inside. Then from what I could see myself, the kid was stabbed twenty times, then laid out on the bar like the muse of some kind of Renaissance painting. The bar had been empty as it had just been closed, but the act was gruesome all the same.

He was only a kid.

My blood was boiling as I watched the steady drip of his crimson blood onto the floor, wrapping around the legs of several barstools.

To be honest, I’d known the moment I’d heard the news that our mystery kidnappers were behind everything. They were angry that we hadn’t given up Coraline – like we ever would have even considered it – and their retaliation of abducting Linc wasn’t enough to spread their message.

They had warned us, and we had thought we were prepared and secured. But obviously we were wrong.

But, perhaps the most disturbing part of the kid’s murder, was the literal message that he represented. Behind the counter, the wall that held the rows of liquor was a mirror. Lucas had placed it there to give the illusion that the bar was bigger than it actually was.

And written on that mirror, in the blood of the murdered child, were the words: **_I warned you._** The handwriting was shaky and without confidence, as if the person hadn’t finished high school, or if English wasn’t their second language.

“The killer left the murder weapon on the floor behind the counter, but whoever it was didn’t cut any corners. We couldn’t find any prints on the knife, and there’s too much hair and skin cells from every person who frequents this bar that our suspect list is looking like the entirety of Okeechobee County,” the woman vented as I zoned back in to their conversation.

She was frustrated with their lack of information, and my general know-how could help her, but I wasn’t about to betray my club. Lucas had sent me here to put out fires, clean up messes, and to find any clues for myself.

My military experience meant that I’d seen things more gruesome than the stabbing before me, and so I’d be able to put my emotions aside and look at the facts. It was one of the main reasons that Lucas had kept me as his Sergeant-At-Arms despite my ten-year absence from the club.

“What about security cameras? There must be footage from earlier in the night that could lead us to something?” the deputy asked. The woman just rolled her eyes.

“They don’t have any. Do you really think a bar owned by the President of the DireWolves is going to bother installing security cameras inside a bar that no doubt witnesses more illegal activities than the inside of the Russian mob?

“Besides, they’d have members crawling this place twenty-four-seven, three-six-five. Who needs security cameras when you’ve got loyal mutts who’d tell you the nanosecond anything went down,” the woman quipped. My lip twitched as I heard a tiny scope of resentment and jealousy in her tone.

Maybe she’d been fucked over by a member before. I didn’t know what else could make her have so much disdain for the club.

“Whatever you need to do to find a suspect, do it. I don’t care if it means running every single DNA sample from this bar through the system. Find an outlier and exploit it. I have other matters to attend to right now,” Chief Wells said, his voice gruff as he finally noticed my idling by their group.

“But sir–” the young woman protested. Wells silenced her with the swift raise of his hand, then he looked pointedly at me. The woman turned and eyed me. I watched the initial shock that I was used to seeing in women.

I watched her analyze my height, my attire and leather cut, my body, my ink. Then I watched the small bloom of attraction in the apples of her cheeks before she tore her eyes away. And I ignored all of it.

I’d never looked at anyone that way except Coraline. And I probably never would.

I raised a brow as the Chief of police began approaching me. He sighed.

“How much did you hear?” he asked, his voice gruff. He and I had always been on good terms, and he usually liked to comply with the MC where he could get away with it. Sometimes it just made everything easier.

I gave a small, non-committal shrug. “Enough to know that you have no leads,” I said, my voice low. Wells sighed, running a hand down his face. The glow of the lights in the early hours of the morning only showcased how Wells was ageing.

I could see how tired he was, and this new crime probably wasn’t helping him. I knew he was thinking about retiring.

“The kid was eighteen. I know his mom, she works two jobs to pay rent and sometimes finds the time to bring homemade cookies into the station. Her kid left home about six months ago, and part of the reason she comes down to the station is to check that he hasn’t gotten into any trouble with gangs or drugs. She didn’t know he was in the club. She’s gonna be devastated when she hears the news.

“This whole job honestly makes me regret giving up smoking,” Wells admitted, “I could really go for a pack of Marlborough right now.”

I didn’t respond.

“I don’t suppose you could tell me anything new that could help with this case?” Wells asked.

I eyed him carefully, and I knew he could see on my face that I knew more than I was letting on. “Can’t tell you anything but what you already know, Chief.”

The man sighed and reached up to pat my shoulder. “Well, you have my number if that fact changes,” he said. “The boys have asked that you don’t touch any part of the crime scene for fear you’ll ruin the investigation. So just, be careful about your looking around. You’ve got about five minutes before we’re going to close up shop and lock it up so no one can get in and disturb it all.”

I nodded and patted his shoulder too. “Thanks.”

Wells nodded before walking away from me and out the front door of the bar. Then I looked around. I was looking for any kind of clue that the police would have missed.

Even if the message on the mirror was enough to know who did this, it was still good practice to cover all of your bases. As I scanned the layout of the club, my eyes glanced over half emptied bottles of beer, discarded cocktails, phone numbers written on napkins, and various stains of who knows what.

The floor had puddles of sticky alcoholic beverages, and the strobe lights switchboard had been haphazardly placed next to the DJ station. Nothing really seemed out of the ordinary, so maybe there wasn’t anything but the mirror to go off.

That was until my eyes skipped over the vase next to the top jar. It usually held an assortment of lilies and tulips, because they were Luna’s favorite and Lucas kept them stocked to please his old lady.

Plus, they just made the tip jar look a little nicer within a biker bar.

But I shouldn’t have been surprised at what I found there. In the center of the bouquet in the vase was a single stemmed white rose. My eyes hardened as my fists clenched.

I didn’t know what this guy’s fetish was with white roses, but it was creepy. And at least I knew for sure now that it was Coraline’s kidnapper behind this kid’s murder. I ran a hand through my hair with a frustrated exhale before stalking out of the bar.

I gave Wells a nod as I walked to my bike, he was leaning against his own car, smoking a Marlborough. I guess some cases made you break your sobriety after all. As I slid into the seat and pulled on my helmet, I noticed the detective watching me with careful eyes.

She was standing with the other deputies but wasn’t paying attention to their conversation. Her eyes were trained on me and my bike, watching as I kicked my stand out of the way, revved the engine and pulled out of the lot.

I could feel her eyes on my back, watching the insignia on my cut as I drove away.

.

Hours later, I was stuck following up on the actions of the kid from earlier in the night. I had to retrace his steps to make sure he wasn’t somehow part of the whole situation and was in fact just an innocent bystander dragged into the mess.

But I’d come up with nothing.

Despite his mother’s efforts to keep him away from drugs and gangs, the boy had become a prospect for the club after being released from Juvie. And before he’d come to the Gallows that morning, he’d been doing lines with a buddy downtown.

I gritted my teeth as I checked the time on my watch. I’d been at this shit for eight hours and come up with nothing. The kid hadn’t been involved, he’d just been jumped to prove a point.

I sighed as I admitted to myself that I wasn’t going to get anything more figured out on only four hours sleep, plus Coraline was sure to be awake by now, and probably pissed that I hadn’t made true on my promise.

Plus, I’d had the image of her burned into my brain since we’d been in Miami, which made for an extremely distracting time. Trying to focus on finding shit about this kid was only ten times harder when my night with Coraline was playing on a loop behind my eyes.

I swear, this girl was going to make me crash my bike because I wasn’t paying attention.

I pulled into my driveway, taking off my helmet. Something was off. I analyzed my surroundings and immediately noticed that Coraline’s bike was missing. I frowned before walking to the front door.

I peered inside, and it looked empty, so, maybe Coraline hadn’t woken yet after all, and someone had just come to take her bike for a ride. I took a step inside and knew something was wrong.

Bullet came running from the kitchen at the sound of the front door being opened. I couldn’t see Coraline anywhere. The dog began barking incessantly so I followed him into the kitchen where he then started circling something on the floor.

My eyes widened when I realized that it was a single stemmed white rose. My stomach dropped, and I wanted to be sick.

_Had that asshole somehow gotten to Coraline? How could I have been so stupid as to leave her here?_

Bullet barked at me again, then jumped up so his front paws landed on the kitchen counter. On top sat a hastily folded piece of paper. I unfurled it, only to find the small print that I knew was Coraline’s handwriting.

**I’m writing this in case you didn’t check your phone. I’ve gone to the club house. I don’t feel safe. Bullet came in with a white rose and I freaked. –Coraline**

I cursed and ripped the note in my fingers before pulling my phone from my pocket. Sure enough, there was a text from Coraline with a similar message. I ran a hand through my hair before whistling for Bullet to follow me.

I swapped my bike keys for my truck’s and loaded him in. I couldn’t stay in this house. I pulled out of the driveway and set off for the compound. I couldn’t help but speed the whole way there. I was unbelievably stressed and knew I’d blame myself if something happened to her.

I already did blame myself.

Bullet jumped out and ran inside as soon as we made it through the compound gates. From a cursory glance at the bikes outside, I couldn’t see Coraline’s among them. That small fact made my heart jump as I clenched my fists to stop my hands from shaking.

I stalked inside, hoping to find her sitting on top of the kitchen bench, eating ice cream from the tub or something. I was greeted with no such image. In fact, the kitchen was empty.

The entire downstairs floor was empty besides Sentinel, the bulldog who Bullet was happy to play with. I frowned. The clubhouse was never this empty, there was always some sleaze getting head on the sofa, or someone playing cards, or someone in the kitchen.

I heard movement upstairs, so I took them two at a time and knocked on Lucas’ office door. I didn’t wait for an answer, just barged in.

I found Luna sitting at her fiancé’s desk, going through his laptop. She looked up when I came in, giving me a worried glance.

“Is she here?” I asked, my voice rough. I knew that Coraline would have come to Luna first if she’d made it here. Before she could answer me, I watched tears began to pool in Luna’s eyes as she shook her head.

“She texted me half an hour ago, but she never showed up. I’ve been trying to get into Lucas’ computer so I can track her phone, but I can’t guess his stupid password. You’d think that I’d know it but apparently my boyfriend keeps secrets from me,” Luna said, her voice small and weak.

My hands began shaking again. If Coraline never showed up here, that means something happened to her on the way. And I hadn’t seen a trace of her on the drive over here, so something was definitely wrong.

I tossed my phone in Luna’s direction and she caught it with ease. “Call her, I’ll get into the computer,” I said, my voice harsh. Luna nodded mutely before sliding out of the way.

I started typing random numbers and letters into the computer. Lucas had given me his password months ago and he’d seemed nonchalant about it, which confused me as to why Luna didn’t know it.

Maybe she’d just forgotten it. Afterall, the numbers and letters had no correlation.

“Shit,” Luna whispered beside me. I looked up at her in question after I finally got into the computer. Luna sighed. “She didn’t pick up.”

I breathed in slowly as I took in the information. Then before I could reply, Lucas walked into the room. He gave the two of us an odd look.

“Why are you guys in my office?”

Luna ran to him and hugged him fiercely. “Where the hell have you been?” Luna demanded. Lucas gave her an odd look.

“I’ve been at the station talking to Chief Wells about the kid. Then I had to go deliver the news to his mom. She was a wreck,” he admitted, then looked to me for answers and I gave him a grave face. “Seriously, what’s going on, why are you using my computer?”

“Coraline got another flower, at the house this time, while I was out following up on the kid’s whereabouts. She texted Luna and I and told us she was coming here but never showed up. That was half an hour ago,” I said, my voice low. “We’re using your laptop to track her phone.”

Lucas scowled. “Are you fucking kidding me? I’m going to kill these sons of bitches,” Lucas growled, leaning away from Luna and punching the wall. His fist went straight through the drywall, making a giant hole.

I ignored his outburst, instead focusing on the software that was tracking Coraline’s phone.

“Got it,” I said. “Her phone is in an alley behind a shop on the main street.”

With that, Lucas and I were out the door and speeding into town on our bikes. We arrived out the front of a chine and dishware store. Sure enough, Coraline’s bike was lying on its side out the front.

I got off my bike and pulled it up, letting it stand on its own, then Lucas and I stormed inside the shop. I watched as the clerk’s eyes went wide with fear. She let out a small squeak as we advanced towards her.

“The woman who owns the bike at the front, did you see where she went?” I asked, trying to keep my voice level.

The woman nodded. “She stopped out the front when a black van made her swerve off the road. Then she shot at the men that were coming out of the van, they were all wearing masks. Then she ran in here and I let her go through to the back because she was carrying a gun and I didn’t want her to hurt me. The men didn’t follow her inside, and that’s all I know. I didn’t see anything after that,” she said.

Lucas cursed beside me, but I kept my eyes trained on the clerk. “Can we go back there?” I asked.

“Of course, of course,” she said quickly, moving swiftly out of the way to let us pass. I walked through and then out to the alley in the back. It was completely deserted. To one side, it opened up to the road again, and to the other side was a wall.

“You look that way, I’ll look over the wall,” I said. Lucas nodded. I knew he should’ve been the one giving out orders but at that moment, he didn’t seem capable. He was too blinded by anger.

I planted a foot on the dumpster, quickly climbed over the wall, knowing that time was of the essence. When I landed on the other side, I noticed that it too was empty.

On second glance, I saw Coraline’s burner phone discarded to the side of the alley as if it had been thrown. My stomach dropped further than I thought possible as I picked up the cell device.

I opened it and saw the cracked screen.

_4 missed calls._

Two from me, and two from Luna. I ran a hand through my hair before calling for Lucas, who joined me then moments later. Before I could say anything, I felt the phone vibrate in my hand.

_Tap to explore media content._

I frowned. Then tapped on the screen. Bile filled my throat as I focused on the dim image. It was of the inside of the back of a van. Coraline was on the floor of the van, wearing only her underwear.

She was completely knocked out, no doubt with drugs, and she had a blindfold over her eyes and a gag over her mouth. Her wrists were tied together behind her back. Her legs weren’t tied, however, I wanted to throw up when I watched one of the four men in the truck place a hand on her lower calf.

He stroked at the skin, and I wanted to rip his head off his body. Another man placed a hand over Coraline’s stomach, his palm and fingers splayed out like a giant spider.

Then the video shut off.

My knees almost buckled, and Lucas placed a hand on my arm to steady me. I felt the phone vibrate as another text came through, this time addressed to me.

**Sergeant. You take something of mine, I take something of yours. An eye for an eye, after all, all is fair in love and war, is it not? Xx**

My stood straight and let out a large yell out of frustration. I threw the phone against the brick wall of the alley.

It hadn’t been clear before, but it was now.

I knew who was behind everything. I knew who had taken my Coraline.

.

**The question is, do you?**


	28. 27 pt1

**CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN (Part 1)**

**Coraline**

My head was spinning. I felt like I was stuck on a merry go round that just wouldn’t stop. Everything was white and grey and blurry.

My limbs felt heavy and numb. My stomach was in a constant state of nausea and my lungs felt half full of water.

I felt like I was drowning. Like my breath was slowly leaving my lips for the last time, creating a trail of bubbles that floated to the surface.

My skin felt sticky with sweat and my breath was shallow.

And everything was grey and white and blurry.

It was all spinning and I couldn’t keep up.

Now my lungs were burning like I was running a marathon I’d never trained for. My muscles felt tired and used. I felt like a slab of meat that someone had punched and pounded until it was tender.

And everything was blurry and white and grey.

I felt a hand on my stomach that wound around my waist. Gage used to do that. But this felt different.

Everything was _blurry_.

And then there was nothing.

.

I felt eyes on me when I finally came to. My muscles groaned in protest as I tried to sit up. My head pounded against my skull so much it felt like it was rattling around in there.

I gasped at the sharp sing of pain that I felt in my neck. I brought my fingers to the place where I knew a needle had been shoved there however long ago.

The skin felt too warm to touch, and it was sore. I couldn’t feel the exact place where I’d been injected but I felt violated.

That feeling continued when I looked down at my body, noticing that I was wearing nothing but a bra and lace panties. I scowled before rubbing my arms. My attire didn’t allow for much warmth, and I grew to realize why I was so cold as I noticed my surroundings.

I was in a cement cell, complete with its very own steel prison bars. Could my kidnappers be any more cliché?

I looked through the bars, noticing two other cells across from me. My eyes widened as I noticed two girls in the first cell, then a girl and a boy in the next. They were the girls who’d been kidnapped with Roz.

And the boy was Linc.

_So where was Roz?_

I looked down to my right, into my own cell, and gasped when I saw the body in the corner of my own cell. _How hadn’t I noticed that before?_

She was so painfully familiar that I wanted to cry at the grimace on her badly bruised face. She was only in underwear too, though it seemed hers were the ones she was kidnapped in.

I let a sob escape my mouth as I scooted closer to her, before stroking her hair out of my face as she slept. I couldn’t believe I’d wound up in a cell with my best friend.

But at least I knew she was alive. She looked dreadful, but she was alive, and that is what mattered most in that moment.

I could feel myself beginning to slip back out of consciousness again. Whatever drug they had given me was way too effective. I slipped closer to Roz and wrapped myself around her, seeking comfort in someone familiar.

Right before my eyes closed, I felt her hand enclose over mine, granting me relief in a world of distress.

.

When I woke up again, I was sitting up against a wall. I opened my eyes groggily to be met with the same location as before.

I was still stuck in a cell, only this time, someone was awake and sitting beside me. I turned my head and she stared into my eyes. I felt tears spring into the corners of my lids, threatening to spill over.

She was the same, despite always being the stronger one of the two of us.

Her face looked terrible. It was a mix of blue and purple and yellow, showing the pure age of her constant bruising. I turned a reached a hand up to her face, stroking and tracing the abuse that littered her pretty appearance.

Roz winced when my finger glided over one of her darker ones. Then she pulled my hand away and held it in hers. Her fingers slid over the back of my hand, holding me in place. I leant my head forward and crashed into her shoulder as my tears finally spilled over.

She held my hand and my head, stroking strands of my hair as I sobbed into her skin. Her body was shaking with what I knew were her own tears.

“How did you end up here?” she finally whispered. I pulled away and looked into her eyes. They looked desperate. “I did everything I could to keep them away from you.”

My jaw dropped slightly. The marks on her face… what they _did_ to her… she had let it happen to keep me safe. I would never be able to repay my best friend for this.

When I didn’t answer, Roz continued. “They knew I was with you, so they thought they could use me to get to you. The other girls didn’t know shit, they were just collateral,” she explained. “They beat me when I wouldn’t talk. They drugged me when I wouldn’t eat, and they force-fed me to keep me alive. Then they pointed a gun at my head and made me watch as they chopped Gen’s finger off to try and get an answer out of me. I thought they’d given up, and I thought they were drawing their last straws when they got Linc.”

Tears streamed down my face as I listened to what she’d had to go through.

“I thought that Linc was their last bargaining chip, so how did they get you?” she asked, her voice was desperate. She wiped my tears as I tried to figure out what to say. How do you form a reply to someone who had taken a literal beating for you, while you practically had a vacation at the beach and let it happen?

My guilt was at an all-time high, and I had no justifications.

I should have pushed harder to get Roz back. The MC should have worked harder to get them out of this place, then none of us would be in this damn mess.

I let out a shaky breath as I tried to reply. “I was staying with Gage, and he was helping to keep me safe. Then he had to go and work out some club business and left at like three in the morning. When the sun rose, his service dog brought a white rose into the house, which has been their way of communicating with me. I freaked and fled on my bike and they caught up to me and drugged me,” I said.

I felt worthless repeating my story to her. I had done the bare minimum to help her, whereas she had gone above and beyond for me. I had been so caught up in my crush on Gage that I hadn’t let myself realize the severity of Roz’s situation.

I’d let myself get distracted by good dick and forgotten about my best friend.

And for that I deserved everything coming my way.

Roz sighed and I watched as a tear slid down her bruised cheek. She pulled her knees to her chest and hugged herself. Then she looked up at me and I grimaced.

I was the worst person on the face of the earth. Roz didn’t deserve what had happened to her, none of these girls did. But I did, for the shit friend that I was, it should have been me who had suffered.

“How are the others?” I asked quietly. Roz winced at my question.

“They’re abused more than me, because they’re apparently not worth anything to them. And they said the girls should be used to it by now, given their jobs at the Rose Petal and in the MC. Gen will never get her finger back, but other than that, nothing has happened.

“They drug us pretty regularly, so I actually have no idea how long we’ve been here,” she admitted.

My eyebrows furrowed in confusion as I tried to calculate the time for her. “Well, it had been roughly a month before they got me. But I don’t know how many days I’ve been here either, so a little over a month, I guess,” I said.

Roz nodded then chuckled a little. I was so confused to hear that sound in this environment.

“Never thought I’d go more than two days without a shower, let alone a month,” she said to herself, a sad smile on her face. It was true, though. The woman was a clean freak through and through.

Before this ordeal, Roz had been known to shower sometimes more than once a day. She chalked it up to germs, but I had always thought that it was because she was secretly ashamed of her job, and never felt clean because of it.

We sat in silence for a while, I watched the shadows that were cast from the steel bars. When it was almost pitch black in the cells, Roz spoke up again.

“And this is when they normally come for us. I can’t tell you how many days I haven’t been able to sleep because the screams keep me up,” she whispered. My hand flew to my mouth, horrified at the acceptance in her voice.

And then a whole new wave of terror coursed through me at the reality of our situation as I heard footsteps tap down the concrete stairs.

“The red coats are coming, the red coats are coming,” Roz whispered, chanting in a slightly deranged manner and cowering into the wall a little further. In that moment it hit me that this Roz was not my Roz.

My Roz was long gone, because if we ever made it out of this, she would be plagued with memories and forever scarred because of her friend who didn’t care enough. Tears streamed down my face as a man came to stand in front of our stall.

It was too dim in the cell to make out his exact features, but he was about 5’10”, lean, and had an impressive dark beard.

He pulled a Glock from his belt. _My_ Glock, I realized; then he pointed it at Roz through the bars. Roz let out a squeak and covered her face with her arms, shaking. But the man’s eyes weren’t on Roz, they were pinned on me.

“The boss would like to see you,” he said, his voice low and gruff. He had an accent that I couldn’t place but it was very obvious that English was not his first language. I rose from where I sat, landing on shaky feet.

“Okay. I’ll come. Just don’t shoot her,” I whispered. The man gave me a small grin before arming the weapon. My eyes widened.

“Just walk,” he said, opening the door with a large key. I did as he asked. Roz didn’t deserve to die just because she was associated with me.

When I had made it out of the cell, I felt the muzzle of the gun be pressed into the small of my back. He dug it in as an indication for me to walk. I complied and walked where he directed me.

We went up the stairs and then through a few corridors. I realized I was in some kind of factory building. We went over a steel bridge that overlooked the factory floor where hundreds of abandoned machines sat to rust.

Then finally, we walked through a door and into some kind of conference room. Only, the table was set with a feast. At the head of the table stood a well-dressed man with a beard as impressive as his companion.

Only, better groomed. His whole self was. He gave an aura of authority, and he was extremely intimidating. However, when he opened his mouth, I wanted to throw up all over his custom Armani shoes.

“Hello, Sweetness. It’s so nice to finally meet you.”

.

**I can’t resist a good cliffhanger.**

**Place your bets here for who you think this guy is…**


	29. 27 pt2

**CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN (Part 2)**

**Coraline**

My jaw dropped at his words. I wanted to kill this man. He had tormented me for months, had made my friends bleed, and had shattered my best friend’s psyche.

His slick, self-assured smile was enough to make me want to vomit.

He knew exactly of everything he’d done, and he was proud of it. I wanted to slash his face with the nearest fork.

Then he frowned. “Balay, please find Miss Knight a T-shirt or coverup of some kind. We wouldn’t want our most important guest to feel exposed,” the man said. His voice had the same drawl as his friend with the gun.

They were from the same place, I just wasn’t sure where.

I turned and watched as the man, Balay, shuffled from the room to find me some clothing. I turned back to the well-dressed man.

“You must forgive me. My men can’t help but want to enjoy everything that you American women have to offer. You can’t blame them for wanting a peek,” he said with a devilish grin.

I bit back every insult that I wanted to throw his way. Offending the man would not be in my best interests. Before the man could speak again, he was taking steps towards me.

I wanted to back away, but there was no room behind me but the door. The man finally stood in front of me, allowing me to smell his cologne. It was a mix of cinnamon and Old Spice.

“I apologize for being so rude. I know your name, but you do not know mine. Allow me to introduce myself. My name… is Azzami.”

I frowned and looked around slightly. Was he looking for applause? Was I supposed to know him? Then I looked back up at well-dressed Azzami. Before I could reply, he sighed.

“Really?” he pouted, “I expected much more of a reaction than that. I thought even the pause for dramatic effect would give it a great bit of flair, no?”

I frowned, confused at his behavior. Azzami pouted some more.

“Did your boyfriend really not tell you all about me? Wow, well I expected more from the Sergeant,” Azzami said wistfully, then he walked away from me, picking up a glass of champagne on his way.

I stood stock still. Gage knew this man? I had no idea how to react to anything going on.

“I’m sorry. He never mentioned you,” I said, my voice small.

“Well he should have! He killed my brother and I swore I’d do the same to him!” Azzami suddenly yelled, turning to glare at me. I was frozen in shock at his sudden outburst.

The man seemed severely unhinged. This joking, childlike manner that he displayed, only to shatter the image with a rage-a-holic had me on my toes. He reminded me of Hades from Disney’s _Hercules_ but in a scarier way.

“I’m sorry, my dear, that was quite rude of me,” Azzami said, his voice back to it’s childlike tinkle, “It’s not your fault that your boyfriend is a family killing bastard.”

The sweet smile on Azzami’s face did nothing to appease me. I had a million questions going through my head, and I didn’t know how to address them.

“Ah, Balay, thank you. Please deposit the clothing on the closest chair and leave us. Miss Knight and I are due for a much-needed chat, it seems,” Azzami chimed, when the door creaked open.

I watched as Balay set a pair of clothes down on a chair before shutting the door behind him. I gave Azzami a pointed look before glancing between him and the clothes. Azzami frowned but then seemed to understand my gesture.

“Oh, right, of course. I’ll turn around if it makes you more comfortable, Sweetness,” he said with a gentle smile. But I wasn’t fooled, because behind the smile was a snake, I was sure of it.

I waited until his back was turned before I went for the clothes. I kept my eyes on his back as I pulled them on. They were gigantic on me, but that was to be expected when you were half the size of every man you met.

“You know,” Azzami voiced from the other end of the room, “I always thought American women were supposed to be these brazen, outgoing creatures, especially in terms of their sexuality. I thought such a thing was celebrated here, yet alas, I am too much a gentleman to watch you change your clothes.”

I ignored his rambling, pulling on the last item of clothing. Then I cleared my throat and Azzami turned around again. He gave me a soft smile when his gaze landed on my clothes, then he clapped his hands together twice.

“Right, take a seat, Sweetness. We have much to discuss,” he voiced, then abruptly pulled his own chair out and sat down. I moved for the chair closest to me, which happened to be six chairs away from the well-dressed man. The distance wasn’t enough to make me comfortable, as I was sitting with my kidnapper and stalker, but it was as good as I was going to get.

Azzami frowned at my choice of placement, but shrugged. He then began piling his plate with food. He looked up, noticing that I was not following suit. Then he glared.

“Eat!” he growled. My eyes widened and I swiftly reached for a stack of bread rolls. I was sure that eating anything after my injection of drugs would only make me throw up, but maybe bread was a safe option.

I took a bite from my roll, chewing slowly so that I wouldn’t bite my tongue that I now realized felt thick and fuzzy. When Azzami seemed appreciative of my choices, he spoke again.

“Now, I’m going to tell you my story, seeing as the Sergeant abdicated his right to do so,” Azzami began. “You already know that your boyfriend served in Afghanistan. You should know that that is my homeland.”

Right, so that’s the accent.

“Seeing as your boyfriend opts not to tell you things, for the sake of the story, I am going to assume that you know nothing. You have seen the scars on his back, yes? And I don’t mean the ones that you’ve surely made with your own fingernails.” Azzami wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

I wanted to projectile vomit but instead I nodded. Azzami grinned.

“And did he tell you how he acquired them?”

I swallowed my bread thickly. “He said he was protecting his partner from a shrapnel bomb planted by the Taliban in a women’s shelter.”

Azzami frowned. “Damn. I was sure he was going to lie about that one. Well great, that just makes him sound like a goddamn hero when he’s definitely not,” Azzami pouted, crossing his arms for a moment and staring at his food like a scolded child, before going back to eating.

I was getting whiplash from his mood swings.

“Anyway, as for who I am, let’s just say that as important a position that your boyfriend holds, or held rather, within the military, I hold the same position within the Taliban in Afghanistan,” Azzami grinned evilly, ceasing to eat to watch my reaction to his words.

My eyes were as wide as tea cup saucers. This man, was a prominent figure in the Taliban?

I was a dead woman walking.

Azzami grinned, his eyes sparking. “I am technically, going against the wishes of my superiors by being here in your country, but I do not care,” he continued. “Well, after your boyfriend’s _accident_ with the shrapnel bomb, planted by yours truly, his first assignment after being medically cleared was storm a meeting being held by my own associates.”

I could no longer force myself to eat my bread roll. It was just churning inside me now, and I couldn’t take another bite.

“Your boyfriend was leading the mission, naturally, which was to storm the meeting and capture as many Taliban leaders as were present. My brother, Isaad, and I were among them. I, however, managed to escape. But, Isaad was not so lucky.”

Azzami had stopped eating too. His face was no longer adorned with a sick smile, instead he was sporting a fierce scowl. One that was scary enough to make me want to drown.

“He was captured by your boyfriend’s men, and taken back to their camp as their prisoner for questioning. He became a prisoner of war, in his own damn country. That is unjust! Isaad was kept in their camp for two weeks, no doubt tortured for information, which he would never give up. He refused to talk, and I know this because my brother has an iron tongue, and an even stronger loyalty to his country.

“On his final day in captivity, an American officer came to retrieve him for more questioning, but Isaad decided enough was enough, so he rightfully attacked the officer. When the officer was incapacitated, he knew he had no escape from the military base, so he took the officer’s gun and shoved the muzzle of that gun down his throat and let fire.”

My hand was over my mouth at the gruesome image. I couldn’t imagine how it would feel to lose someone that way, but I also didn’t want to feel sympathy for this man.

“Your boyfriend then finished his service before I could get my revenge. Which leads me into why I am in your disgusting country to this day,” Azzami spat. “I followed him here, and vowed that I would make him hurt the way that he has made me hurt. Your boyfriend has no siblings, so I decided to take who I knew was the most important to him.

“And that is where you come in, Sweetness. You will help me seek my revenge. Because, my dear, I am going to kill you.”

With that, the man smiled sweetly at me once more as my eyes widened in horror. The I could only watch as the well-dressed man went back to eating his meal in peace.

He was going to leave me in suspense. He was going to dangle my fate in front of me like a scientist dangles cheese in front of a mouse.

And there was nothing I could do about it.

.

**The truth hurts.**


	30. 28

**CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT**

***trigger warning – violent content***

**Coraline**

After my dinner with Azzami, he’d sent for Balay to take me back to the basement cells. And I’d been there since.

From what I could tell, it had been about three days since our meeting, and even on that I wasn’t completely sure, because I was positive that whatever water they’d been giving us with our meagre meals was drugged with something.

I’d felt in a constant state of nausea, with my head feeling both light and incredibly heavy at the same time. I wanted to throw up and my stomach was clenched in a likeness to period cramps.

I felt useless in this state, and in the times of day that I had been awake, Roz wasn’t. In the few days that I’d been down there with her, I could count the times we’d spoken on one hand.

And each time had been a disaster.

Roz was only ever half awake, and she spaced out a lot. She was broken, and I could see it in her eyes. My heart hurt for my best friend, and I hated myself because I knew that everything was my fault.

I felt my eyes beginning to drift closed again until I heard heavy footsteps tapping down the stairs. My half lidded eyes lifted tiredly, laying my gaze upon Balay and another man.

The other man usually brought meagre amounts of bread and water, but today he was empty handed.

Well, not completely empty. Both men held a Glock in their hands. My heartbeat increased as I looked between the men and my friends.

Roz was out cold, Gen and Stacey were half awake like myself, then Linc and the other girl whose name I didn’t know were fast asleep, propped up against each other.

“Boss wants to see you,” Balay said, looking pointedly at me. I let out a tired exhale and tried to get up. Being compliant would surely be in my best interests, even though I knew that this would probably be the meeting that killed me.

After all, Azzami had only promised as much.

But I found, as I tried to lift myself into a standing position, my limbs defied me. I sent a stricken look towards Balay, who only glared at me. I couldn’t move. Whatever they’d drugged me with was still in effect.

“I said, get up, bitch,” Balay seethed. He pointed his gun at Linc, who was still sleeping. I gasped, trying to move, a tear escaped my eye with my effort.

But to no avail.

Balay grunted. “Fine. You asked for it. Their deaths will lay over your head,” he said, his voice gruff. Then, without warning, he moved towards Linc’s cell. He unlocked the door and wrenched it open.

I couldn’t look away even if I wanted to. My line of sight was focused on my friend, and the fate that had been sealed by me and my uncooperative body.

Then my ears were ringing with the harsh cry of the bullet leaving his gun. Linc was wrenched awake with a cry as the bullet embedded itself in his bicep. The girl beside him also shot awake.

My throat felt dry with the want to scream, but I was frozen.

I watched as Linc grabbed at his arm, lines of red seeping through the gaps in his fingers. Bile filled my throat and I couldn’t help it as it all came up. I was hunched over on all fours as my body had a mind of its own.

My body was wracked with convulses as I brought up every ounce of bread that I’d been given to eat in the last few days. Linc’s screams became the soundtrack to my gag reflex. My back arched, making my arms burn as my throat was scalded by my stomach acids.

When I finally emptied my stomach, I looked up. Balay was staring down at me from outside my cell. He was giving me a harsh glare, but his mouth held a cruel smile.

“Get up, or I’ll shoot his other arm,” he demanded. He kept his gun pointed at Linc but his gaze focused on me.

My arms shook and I gritted my teeth as I tried to push myself to my feet. But my body betrayed me. When my body slumped and gave up, Balay shook his head and clicked his tongue. He sent me a devilish grin, and I wanted to throw up all over again at the next words from his mouth.

“Take the redhead,” Balay then spoke. The other man sent an evil smirk my way before he pulled open the door to Gen and Stacey’s cell. Gen screeched, putting her arms in front of her face to shield herself as the man lifted her by her hair. He stood Gen on her feet.

“No, no, no, no, no,” my voice managed to whisper. This couldn’t be happening. This sort of shit happened in movies. It didn’t occur in real life. These people belonged in the deepest pits of hell.

These people deserved for Satan himself to be their personal punisher.

I could only watch as Gen’s tears streamed down her face. Then the man ripped at her clothes until she was naked. Her body stood limp and pale, and her lack of clothes allowed me to see the map of their past actions.

Her stomach displayed an array of colored bruises, ranging from blue, to black, to green and yellow. There was scratch marks and lines of dried blood over the taut skin of her tummy.

Her arms were thin, and I could see her ribs protruding from lack of nutrition. Gen had already had her finger sliced clean off, she didn’t deserve everything these men had done to her.

My head was spinning with the need to protect her, but I couldn’t move. It was like an invisible force was keeping me pinned to my spot in my cell. All I wanted was to go to her and help her, but these drugs were making it impossible.

I listened to her quiet begs of protest before the man pulled his own pants down. My eyes then fell to Stacey, who was cowering in the corner, shielding her face and covering her ears.

Stacey’s hair was matted and tangled, the blonde strands were dyed pink in some places from dried blood. Her skin was streaked with dirt and I could see the places where her tears had made tracks in the filth.

Oh, how I wished I could hide my face like she was. Anything to not have to witness what was happening to Gen. Linc was still grunting from the pain of the bullet lodged in his arm, and the girl in his cell was doing everything she could to stop the bleeding.

I then looked up at Balay who glared down at me. I heard the telltale scream of a woman being taken against her will behind him and my gut wrenched for Gen. She didn’t deserve any of this. My eyes squeezed shut and I couldn’t lift my arms to cover my ears, so I had to listen to the man grunt every time he thrust inside of her.

Gen was screaming, her lungs protesting every advance from the unwanted man. She was crying and sobbing and I had to listen to every single second knowing it was all my fault.

_All my fault, all my fault._

I could only imagine that this wasn’t the first time this had happened in the past month. These men probably thought that these girls were asking for it because of their jobs as strippers. But these girls deserved better.

No one deserved to be treated like that.

The fact that I knew this had happened before, disgusted me. These men were pigs who took advantage of girls they’d made too weak to defend themselves. These men were animals.

I listened to Gen’s pained sobs, and then the man hollered as he found his release. My eyes squeezed so tightly that I was beginning to see swirling patterns behind my eyes. I was giving myself a headache on top of my drug induced one, from the amount of pressure that was gluing my eyes shut.

Then I heard a gun being cocked, and I heard Stacey scream as the trigger was pulled. My eyes flashed open in time to see Gen’s naked body fall lifelessly to the floor. I watched as her head smacked against the concrete floor, her mouth slack and blood seeping from her nose and ears.

Her body bounced from the force of being dropped, before slumping onto the cold ground.

My mouth fell open in a silent cry as my shoulders shook.

_If my body would only listen to my brain, then Gen wouldn’t be dead right now._

Then I heard Stacey scream once more as the man advanced towards her. He began kicking and punching her in the face, the stomach, the neck. Until she threw up all over him. Her limbs were writhing in the blood pooling from Gen’s body.

I could see Gen’s dead eyes looking straight at me, and could see the hole in her forehead where the man had decided he would end her life. Her arm was reached forward, as if she were reaching out for me.

I was sure that if I looked up, I’d see a spray of blood and brain matter on the wall.

That thought alone was enough to trigger my gag reflex again. But I had nothing left to give, so this time I could only dry heave.

The other man kept going on Stacey, I was sure he was about to give her the same treatment as he did to Gen. He was punching her across the face with enough force to break bone.

“Do you need more convincing?” Balay asked from the cell door. I looked up at him, pained as I tried to move. I could feel my body slowly beginning to obey me as I’d thrown up most of the drugs from my system.

But I was still too slow to react. So, he went back to Linc’s cell. And I watched in horror as he raised his gun again. I was so afraid he was going to shoot the girl too, and that someone else’s death would be on my hands.

His shot fired, landing in Linc’s other bicep. Linc screamed, before passing out from the pain. The other girl tried to stem the flow with both hands, but I feared her efforts were in vain. Her face was stricken as she tried to help the boy, but I could only witness as his chest began to slow in its inhale and exhale.

Linc’s eyes fluttered, his face contorted from the pain, and I could only hope that his adrenaline would be enough to fight the pain and stay alive.

I watched Balay stalk to my cell. The other man was still abusing Stacey. Balay flung the door open and raised his gun at Roz, who had somehow stayed knocked out through this whole ordeal.

I hoped she would stay asleep until everything was over. If I could shield her from the truths of today, then I’d have at least succeeded in something.

But that hope was quickly shattered to smithereens.

I sobbed as he cocked the gun, before letting a bullet fly. The thing lodged itself in her thigh, making her body jump. The most sickening part of it was that she didn’t even wake up. Whatever they had given her was powerful enough to make her not even feel a bullet wound.

I couldn’t stop the screams and cries that were slipping through my lips.

“Please, no, no, please, please, no…” I sobbed. “ _Rosalind._ ”

I would have been worried that she was dead if I couldn’t see the slow rise and fall of her chest. The only indication that she felt anything at all was in the small crease between her brows.

I wanted to go to her, but I couldn’t. All I could do was stretch my arm out towards her. I wanted to comfort her from the pain I knew she couldn’t even feel. I watched the small trail of blood begin to leak from under her leg and I sobbed.

I sobbed and then Balay was walking towards me. I could feel my energy seeping back into my limbs, and could feel the will to move coming back to me. My defense mechanisms were working with me as I prepared to shield myself from whatever he had coming.

But I was still weak.

And he was much larger than me.

He reached down and pulled me up by my long hair. He wrapped his fist around it and dragged me to my feet. My arm thrashed out and slapped him in the face. He obviously didn’t appreciate it because he gave me the same treatment, only with a closed fist.

“You little slut,” he hissed as his fist swung.

I tasted blood in my mouth as my head whipped to the side. I bit my tongue and my mouth felt warm. My ears rung with the pressure and my temple was burning. I glared up at Balay as he set me on my feet. Then he grabbed my arms and cuffed them behind me.

“And just remember, bitch, this all could have been avoided if you had just cooperated,” Balay grunted into my ear. I let out a silent cry as he shoved me.

He pushed me forward so that I stumbled, then when I straightened up, he pressed the muzzle of his gun into the small of my back. I watched as the other man picked up Stacey, dragged her from her cell, and then pushed her into Roz’s.

He locked the door behind her and Stacey gasped for breath before going to Roz and trying to help her wounded leg. Then the man walked in front of me, and Balay pressed me forwards and up the stairs.

But first, I had to shuffle my way through the slow spreading pool of Gen’s blood. I sobbed as it was warm to touch.

“Hurry up, bitch. Azzami doesn’t appreciate tardiness.”

I gulped as I made my way up the stairs, then was led out of the basement.

This was it. This is where my life would end.

.

**Everyone is always broken in one way or another…**


	31. 29

**CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE**

**Gage**

Lucas was struggling to catch up to me as I stormed from the alley and up to my bike.

“Trig, just tell me what the fuck is going on,” he demanded. I couldn’t answer, I was too blinded by my anger. I couldn’t believe that that asshole had come after me.

And had taken Coraline.

I was going to kill him.

“Trigger, I swear, I can’t help if you don’t tell me what kind of fucking revelation you had back there,” Lucas growled.

I swung my leg over my bike and sighed. Then I looked up at my best friend, who stood with his arms crossed beside me.

“I can’t. This is bigger than me. I have to take it to the table,” I managed to get out. I watched Lucas furrow his eyebrows.

“Do you know something? Have you been keeping details about these guys from me, Trigger?”

I exhaled roughly. “Look, Tal, it’s not that simple–”

“Yes, it is! It’s a yes or no question, Trig. And this is my sister we’re talking about. If you know something, you should have told me weeks ago.”

I scowled at the fact that he cut me off. “I didn’t _know_ two weeks ago. I’ve been in the dark as much as the rest of you. But that text message on that phone finally clued me in,” I growled.

I could tell that he didn’t buy what I was saying, but I didn’t care. I was telling him the truth, and it wouldn’t do him any good to stop trusting me now.

After a few minutes of deliberating, he gave in. “Fine. We’ll take it to church. But you have to tell the club every damn thing you know. My baby sister’s life hangs in the balance,” Lucas quipped, his voice dripping with venom. I nodded once and slid on my helmet.

Then I watched as Lou pulled out his phone and let everyone know of the meeting that would take place in fifteen minutes. Then I listened as he called for a prospect to retrieve Coraline’s bike and take it back to the compound.

Then Lucas shoved his phone in his pocket, slammed his helmet on his head, and sped off before me, back to the clubhouse. I scowled as I was right behind him. If there was anything Lucas hated, it was being the last to know things.

He was incredibly stubborn and headstrong, which made him an excellent club president, and he was fair with punishment, and smart in his decisions. But his biggest flaw was that he held grudges. His stubbornness often won out and clouded his logic.

It made him dangerous. Which was a quality that many admired in an MC President, but I saw it as a ticking time-bomb.

You never knew when he was going to blow. And I feared that the information I was about to reveal to the club would send Lucas hurtling over the edge.

With that, I sped off after him, watching the town whip by as I made my way back to the compound. Ten minutes later, I was seated at Lucas’ right hand around the table. The room was filled with thirty odd men and I couldn’t take my eyes off Coraline’s empty seat.

The other men knew better than to take a seat in her chair. You had to earn that place.

My eyes snapped up when I heard the sharp crack of the gavel landing in its plate. The room was silenced as every eye turned to their president.

“I called this meeting because Trigger has uncovered new evidence in finding the girls from the Flower Petal and Linc. This morning, Trigger and I followed the trail of the death of our Prospect at the Gallows, which I’m sure many of you already know.

“The kid was stabbed twenty times and laid out on our bar. But, it seems that his death was not planned, and was only to send a cursory message. These men are taunting us, and I’m not going to let them tarnish our reputation in this town.

“If other clubs begin to see that we haven’t taken enough action, they’ll plan a patch over and we’ll either be killed or absorbed into another club,” Lucas growled.

There was a murmur of grumbled outrage running through the men. When it began to become out of hand, Jax let out two short, sharp, high-pitched whistles to grab everyone’s attention. Lucas was scowling dangerously when everyone gave him the floor once more.

“I’m not going to let that happen. After the incident with the prospect, Siren was targeted once again. She left Trigger’s house after believing that someone had broken inside, then tried to come here to the compound.

“When she didn’t make it, Trigger and Luna tracked her phone on my computer. From an eye witness account, we know that Coraline was cornered outside the dishware store in the main street. She managed to injure two of the four men that attacked her, but ultimately, they were able to kidnap her.

“When Trigger and I came upon the scene, they were long gone, and had left Coraline’s burner phone. They sent a video where she was knocked out, gagged, handcuffed, blindfolded and half naked,” Lucas stated, his voice strained.

“What’s new there,” I heard a voice whisper from the back of the room. My eyes were covered with a film of red as I stood at attention, whipped my gun from my belt and cocked it, pointing it at the voice.

On the receiving end was a skinny prospect with wide eyes. I imagined he was wetting himself as he stared down the barrel of my gun. “Repeat yourself,” I thundered, my voice deep and rough. “ _I dare you._ ”

The prospect was shaking as his tongue was tied for words. He couldn’t get anything out, and he believed I would shoot him where he stood. To be honest, I wasn’t sure that I wouldn’t.

If Lucas didn’t realize how protective I was of Coraline before, he would now. Which would mean that the cat was out of the bag. I could only hope that he thought I was protecting her out of a sense of older brother mindset.

When the prospect let out nothing but a series of squeaks, I felt a hand on my forearm. I saw in my peripheral that it was Lucas. He was standing too, and glaring at the prospect.

“My sister has been kidnapped and no doubt drugged. The men that have taken her have displayed nothing but violence in the way that they handle their business. If you don’t want to end up like the kid that died this morning, I suggest you never do so much as disrespect Siren ever again. She is a fully patched member of this club, and has been involved her entire life. You have been included in this club for less than three months. I will not hesitate to kick you to the fucking curb,” Lucas said, his voice dark and full of hatred.

“It would do you well not to piss off Pres, especially at the expense of the only family he has left,” Jax added, glaring at the kid.

The child gave a hurried nod and looked down at the floor. I lowered my gun and sat back down. Lucas followed my lead and settled back into his chair. He gave me a cursory glance but I refused to meet his eyes.

If he knew the real reason that I was so protective of Coraline, he would kill me where I stood. And I would let him.

Because I would never deserve her.

I had known that I would condemn her to a terrible life, and I had been right. If it wasn’t for me, she would still be sitting at this damn table with a smirk on her lips and mischief in her eyes.

I couldn’t help the images that steamrolled through my brain at the thought of her.

I saw the steady rise and fall of her chest as she slept; I saw the slow exhale of breath from the surprised ‘O’ of her mouth as my lips descended on her chest; I saw the way she twisted her hair in her fingers as she was thinking of something.

I saw her deep brown eyes flutter closed the first time that I laid my lips on hers.

She was too perfect for this world, and I had signed her death sentence the moment I’d stepped foot back in Okeechobee.

“The final reason that this meeting was called today is because Trigger has new information on these men that have kidnapped our friends. Trig, take the floor,” Lucas said, looking over at me. I sighed, my eyes hard.

“When I was in active duty, one of my last missions before coming home was to be the pointe guard on storming a Taliban leaders meeting. The mission was under my command as a newly appointed Sergeant, and I organized and chose every soldier to participate in the operation. Our informant, Isaad, told us time and place and how to bypass security with minimal casualties. The mission was almost completely successful and we were able to place eight out of ten Taliban leaders into custody. The only ones who escaped were Isaad’s older brother and an Iraqi man.

“The men that we brought into custody weren’t the highest leaders in the Taliban, they were third tier. We brought them all in for questioning, and after becoming riddled with guilt for betraying his country, Isaad took his own life with the gun of one of my men.

“The second text message received on Coraline’s phone this morning read ‘ _Sergeant. You take something of mine, I take something of yours. An eye for an eye, after all, all is fair in love and war, is it not? Xx_ ’ so, I believe that the person behind the kidnappings of Siren, Linc, and the Flower Petal girls is Isaad’s older brother,” I said.

Lucas was glaring at me, but more out of frustration than anger. He knew that I couldn’t have known Isaad’s brother would follow me to America. I glared at my hands, wanting to leave this room.

This club had endured so much over the last month because of my return. The entire reason anyone had been hurt thus far was because of me and my actions overseas.

Some hero I was.

“So, you’re saying we’re up against the Taliban?” Samual asked. “Don’t those guys burn people alive and behead people and shit?”

I glared at the man. Everything he said was true, and we were lucky that all they’d done so far was cut off a girl’s finger and stab a boy to death. But that was only the stuff we knew about.

Whatever was happening to those girls and Linc back at their base, we had no idea.

“Yes,” I gritted my teeth, “Which is why we can’t take any chances. We go in with every ounce of firepower we’ve got.”

Jax nodded. Then Lucas spoke up.

“Right, the address that we tracked the van going to is our only lead. We’re taking it. Our scouting mission yesterday revealed that it was the abandoned warehouse on Shacks Road, which was the place that these men wanted us to deposit Siren the first time around.

“There were no vehicles that we could see around, but that will be the first place we check for clues. I expect everyone to be on high alert and we will search the place from top to fucking bottom. I’m not coming home without my damn sister,” Lucas growled. “Everybody arm yourselves, we’re leaving in ten minutes.” Then he slammed the gavel on it’s plate and every man in the room stood to their feet and shuffled from the room.

I moved to get up until I felt a hand on my arm. I looked over and saw that Lucas held me steady with his gaze. He looked ready to blow. His face was hard and I knew that all he was thinking about was getting his family home safe.

I knew he was, because the exact same thing was on my mind.

I made the mistake of looking into Lucas’ eyes.

And he saw _everything_.

His eyes hardened as he slowly rose from his seat. Then I watched as he strode to the doors and slammed them shut. He and I were the only ones left in the room.

His movements were slow as he came to sit back in his seat. I sat straight in my seat, watching as he leaned back in his, watching me. When he finally spoke, I felt my stomach drop.

“You and my sister. What’s going on there?” he asked. His voice was calm, but I knew from experience that he was two seconds away from exploding.

I could feel my heart beating faster. I didn’t want to admit anything to Lucas, because I knew that he would hate me for the way I felt about Coraline, but I also didn’t see any other way out of this.

I stared straight into his eyes, deciding that I didn’t have time to fuck around with this because every minute that we spent in this room was another minute that Coraline was left with that asshole who took her.

I sighed, exhaling through my nose because my mouth was set into a hard line. I didn’t know which words to use so as not to cheapen what I felt for Coraline. Lucas seemed to lower his shoulders and relax into his chair.

“How long?” he asked.

I gave him a questioning look. “How long for what?”

Lucas shrugged. “How long have you two been sleeping together?”

I scowled, leaning back in my chair and running a hand through my hair. If I answered that specific question, it would sound like I didn’t feel anything for her. But Lucas also needed an answer.

“Miami,” I eventually said, my voice low. Lucas considered my answer for a moment before nodding once.

“And how long have you actually wanted to?” he asked. My eyebrows furrowed. Lucas didn’t sound angry, and I was beginning to feel like I didn’t know my best friend as well as I thought I did.

“I haven’t,” I said. Lucas quirked an eyebrow, it was obvious that he didn’t believe me. I sighed. “That was never what I wanted. I didn’t care about that,” I said.

Lucas still looked confused and I ran another hand through my hair and then down my face. I scratched at the scruff on my jawline.

“I don’t know how I feel about Coraline. But I’ve never seen her as a friend, or a little sister,” I admitted. “But I knew that I never wanted to betray your trust. I saw the way you treated guys who looked at her differently, hell, I helped you beat them up.

“Ten years ago, I left because I didn’t want to be your next victim,” I said.

Lucas nodded. “And now?” he asked. I looked at him from the side of my eye, wary.

“And now… I know that ten years away did nothing to change anything about anything; and I want nothing more than to get her out of that damn hellhole because it’s all my fault,” I said.

Then Lucas did the thing I expected the least.

His mouth spread into a large grin. “About fucking time,” he said. My eyebrows furrowed as he clapped a hand on my shoulder.

“You’ve finally come to your damn senses. I’ll be honest, I didn’t think it would take you this long, but–”

“What?” I interrupted. Lucas gave me an ear-to-ear grin. I was confused as hell.

“I’ve waited for ten years for you to become the man I knew you could,” he said. “In high school, I saw the way you looked at her. But I knew that you were going through your parent’s divorce, and I knew you were both too immature to handle it. But honestly, nothing would make me happier than my sister finding solace with my best friend.

“I knew you two could give each other things that no one else really could. My grandma used to spout crap about true loves and soul mates and I never put much worth into any of it, until I saw it with my own eyes. I watched you become enamored with her, and knew that she was who you needed.

“That’s why I drove away every guy who ever looked at her twice. Whether you two saw it or not, I knew that you would eventually. I just didn’t think it would take this long,” Lucas grinned.

My mind was whirling. Was Lucas admitting that he was okay with this?

He chuckled at my bewildered expression, giving me another clap on the shoulder, then standing to his feet. I followed suit and we stood eye to eye.

“Seriously, Gage. You two are meant for each other,” he said, pulling me into his embrace. When he leaned back, he reached out to shake my hand. “Now, let’s go kill the bastard who took our girl.”

I gave him a curt nod as he gave me a wide grin.

.

**Lucas the Matchmaker**


	32. 30

**CHAPTER THIRTY**

***trigger warning – violent content***

**Coraline**

I felt like I was going through a sense of de ja vu. Only this time, my mind felt groggy from the aftereffects of whatever drug they’d injected into my veins. I could only pray that if I survived this, I wouldn’t become addicted to whatever they’d had me hooked up to.

My heart was racing as Balay and the other man led me through dark corridors. Then we stepped up onto the steel bridge that overlooked the empty factory. My body began to sway with unease as I felt myself slipping back out of consciousness.

I gripped the rusted railing, praying that it wouldn’t break from the sudden pressure. I was also praying that I wouldn’t get Hepatitis from whatever the hell was on that railing.

I had to stop walking to gain my stead back, and Balay became annoyed with the holdup. He jabbed the but of his gun into my lumbar, making me wince and bite my lip. I refused to make a sound though, I had no idea what kind of sick fantasies these men held inside them.

I refused to give them the satisfaction of hearing me in pain.

Finally, I managed to stumble my way across the viewing bridge and we ended up in front of the conference room door. I grimaced as I remembered my conversation with Azzami in that room.

He had told his whole story, much like a supervillain in a movie, only there had been no fantastic entrance from the story’s hero. Instead, I was left with a death sentence and a feeling of dread.

The man whose name I still didn’t know, turned the handle and opened the door. The air conditioning was cranking at full power, which made me shiver in the small amount of thin clothing I wore.

Azzami was standing with his back to me, and was staring out the large windows on the far wall. I had no idea what his view was, but from what I’d come to know about Azzami, I knew that he was fond of the dramatic flair.

I watched as he raised a hand, still not facing me, and flicked his fingers. Seconds later I felt Balay grab my wrists and cuff them. My mouth fell open in shock, because I hadn’t been expecting this.

Azzami then flicked his hand again and all I heard was the door clicking shut. That was when I knew I was alone with this deranged man.

Sure enough, as a lover of dramatic flair, Azzami gave a slow and steady turn. His hands were clasped behind his back as he gave me an evil smirk and a raise of his eyebrow.

My body froze as his eyes raked over me. My feet were caked with Gen’s blood, my face was no doubt dirty from sleeping on the cell floor, my hair was a matted nest and my skin was pale and sallow from lack of nutrition and sunlight.

I probably already looked like death.

Azzami gave me a cruel smile. “Did you enjoy the show, Sweetness?”

I fought not to let my mouth drop to the floor. My head was spinning but mostly I was overwhelmed with the feelings of disgust and sickness coursing through me. I couldn’t believe one person could be so inherently evil as to plan and execute the rape, abuse and murder of a girl while her friends were shot at and made to watch.

I had to believe that someone couldn’t be so coldhearted so as to feel no remorse.

I could feel tears pooling in my eyes as I scowled and looked at the floor. I would not let him see me like this, I would not show him my vulnerability.

But he gave me no choice.

I heard his Armani covered footsteps come closer and closer until he stopped up in front of me. He reached a finger under my chin and tilted my head until I was looking up into his eyes.

“Oh,” he pouted, “Don’t tell me you’re mourning for a girl you refused to save. After all, you _did_ have the power to save them all, if only you’d come to the drop off point a week ago…”

I spat in his face. “You’re a heartless monster,” I said, my voice low and raspy from misuse.

Azzami’s face contorted into one of immense anger as he wiped my saliva from his face. “Heartless, yes, but a monster? Not quite yet, Sweetness. Now, you’ll pay for that stunt,” he growled. Then he seemed to move faster than my eyes could track, and he swept a leg underneath me, making me crash to the floor.

I had no way to steady myself, as my wrists were cuffed behind my back, so my head hit the floor with a sickening crack, and made the air ring in my ears. It made my vision tunnel as my brain seemed to whack the inside of my skull like an aggressive game of pinball.

Then, my scalp screamed as Azzami wrapped a hand around my hair and began pulling me backwards. I writhed, trying to get away from him, but his grip on my hair was so tight that it was giving me a blistering headache. Pairing that with the unmistakable whack that it had just taken was enough to make me want to fall unconscious.

My eyes blinked furiously, trying to keep myself awake and semi-aware of my surroundings as Azzami dragged me from the conference room. I winced as I was dragged from slick hardwood floors to the grated pumice of concrete.

My skin began to be ripped as my body was dragged mercilessly over the rough surface. Then he dragged me down a hallway, and finally down a set of stairs. He wasn’t gentle in the slightest as he dragged me headfirst down them.

My body tumbled and twisted and my kneecaps became bruised as I came to a stop at the bottom. My head and shoulders began to be lifted from the ground by my hair until I was looking up into Azzami’s eyes.

I could feel that my cheeks were wet with tears as Azzami gave me a cruel smirk before dropping me, and once again, my head hit the concrete floor.

Only this time, he succeeded in knocking me out.

I was done for.

.

I woke up shivering.

My eyes wandered around the room. From what I could gather through the thick cloudy haze covering my eyes, I was in a room will walls of steel, and I was alone.

I was lying on some kind of table and I was definitely naked. The fact that I couldn’t remember what was left of my clothing being removed, scared me beyond belief. I had no idea who had touched me to take them off, or how long ago it happened, or possibly what happened afterwards whilst I was out cold. After seeing what these men could do, I was glad I didn’t feel any kind of pain down there.

I tried moving my arms, only to find that they were strapped down. So were my legs. I looked down at them, noticing I was strapped in with a special kinds of steel cuffs that were attached to chains. I bit my lip as I could only imagine that these chains were bolted into the floor.

I sighed as I leant my head back on the steel table.

If I was alone, I sure wouldn’t be for long, unless it was Azzami’s plan for me to freeze to death. Though that didn’t really seem like his style.

On the upside, I didn’t think I was overcome with drugs anymore. However long I’d been lying in this room had been enough time for the remainder of those drugs to leave my system, especially after I’d thrown most of them up back in the basement cells.

My whole body tensed as I became stricken at the memory of what happened in that basement. I could only hope that Roz and Linc were okay despite being shot, and that Balay and the other man hadn’t gone back for seconds.

I forced myself to move around so that I could be aware of my surroundings, but there wasn’t much to notice. In front of me were two plain steel walls with no décor, and a steel door on the third wall. The handle was one of those ones that locked from the outside, like in a restaurant freezer.

My eyes widened as that gave me an idea.

I arched my back moved my head so that I could see behind me, somewhat upside-down. Sure enough, there were a few racks of meat hanging from hooks on the ceiling. They were wrapped in a clear seal, and looked like they’d been hanging for a while, having possibly been abandoned. I could see signs of the meat’s ageing through the clear wrap.

So, that answered that question, I was in some kind of meat freeze or cold room.

That explained the smell.

My breathing began to quicken as the realness of the situation set in. Azzami had surely placed me here as a way to keep things clean and contained. I was probably going to be killed in this room, where the blood wouldn’t stain and would easily drain.

The ageing meat would be sure to mask the smell of my demise.

My chest was rising and falling rapidly at the sheer thought of what this man had planned for me, and I could only lie in wait.

There was nothing for me to use to break from these chains, I was practically helpless.

After a few minutes of trying to think of an escape plan, I heard the latch on the door click open. The sound was followed seconds later by the silhouette of Azzami. When his face came into the light, I saw that he was carrying a large black bag made of leather.

He caught my eye and gave me a happy smile.

“Oh good, you’re awake. That will make this more enjoyable, don’t you think? No point torturing someone when they don’t even know it’s happening, that just takes all of fun away,” he pouted at the end of his little speech.

My lips parted slightly in horror.

_Torture?_ Couldn’t he just kill me and get it over with?

My fists clenched as I watched him place the leather bag on the table beside me, then he began pulling many tools from the bag. I didn’t recognize any of them, but they all looked incredibly sharp and like they could cause permanent, irreversible damage.

My eyebrows furrowed as he brought three prongs from the bag, each with an odd symbol on the end. Then he lifted a blowtorch from the bag and my eyes widened as I realized what the metal prongs were for.

The bastard was going to brand me.

I was going to become a permanent message for my club even after I was dead. As if my death wasn’t a harsh enough message already.

This man was more sick than I could ever know.

Then he lifted a large syringe from the bag. The container was filled with a deep amber liquid, something I didn’t recognize.

“What the hell is that?” I whispered, pulling at my restraints, trying to get away as he finally put down the now empty bag. Azzami just gave me a grin as he lifted the needle.

It was huge, and he flicked the end of it to release any bubbles, then he advanced toward me. “Nothing you should worry your little head over, Sweetness. It’s just to numb you a little, so that we can extend the amount of fun we’re about to have, without risking you passing out, my dear.”

My eyes widened and my mouth opened in protest, but before I could get any words out, he plunged the thing into the side of my neck and all I could do was scream. He stroked my hair as I screamed through the pain of having some gigantic needle stuck into my neck.

Then he began pressing the trigger, releasing every ounce of whatever numbing agent was inside it. My chest was heaving as I could feel the drug speeding up my heart, then my mouth snapped shut, like I had a sudden case of lockjaw.

My brain was running at a hundred miles an hour and my body felt wired with electricity, but my mouth refused to work. My limbs felt dead but I could still feel every place that he laid his hands.

Whatever he’d injected me with had only made me a prisoner in my own body. It hadn’t numbed me, it had just pinned me to the damn table.

I couldn’t scream as I watched him use his blowtorch to heat up the steel on his first branding iron. Whatever symbol was crafted into the end blazed yellow and orange as it was heated.

انتقالي

It looked like a series of squiggles to me, but I knew it had to mean something significant to him, otherwise he wouldn’t use it. Azzami was a crazy man, but he was a crazy man with an undeniable vision.

As he heated up the iron, he began to hum a little tune. After letting the notes filter through my ears, I realized he was humming a nursery rhyme. ‘Hickory Dickory Dock’ to be exact.

“Hickory dickory dock,” he whispered, his eyes wide and his grin wider, “The mouse ran up the clock.”

I watched as he danced with the blowtorch in his hand, evenly heating the iron.

“The clock struck one, the mouse ran down,” he grinned, then he caught my eye and put down the blowtorch. The iron was red hot and glinting at me as he lowered it. Azzami unclasped my right foot and lifted my leg so that the base of my foot was facing up to him.

He held it firmly and then pressed the burning iron into my skin. “ _Hickory dickory dock_ ,” he grinned. My skin burned as the iron was pressed into my skin. I wanted to holler as I felt every lick of fire feeling like it was climbing up my skin and heating through my bones.

But as my mind was in an unbreakable prison, my mouth refused to work, allowing my screams to reverberate within my skull and deafen me. I was going to drive myself crazy.

Then Azzami lowered my leg and placed it back in its shackle. Then he began heating up a different iron. This one’s symbol was shorter, but still written in the same style. I was going to assume that it was his native language or something similar.

کارم

As the screams in my head began to die down and be replaced with merciless sobbing, I heard him unclasp my other foot, holding it up. The second iron was heated bright red, and ready to go. He was onto the second verse of his song now.

“Hickory dickory dock, the mouse ran up the clock. The clock struck two, the mouse ran down,” and with that, he pressed the second iron into the bottom of my left foot. “ _Hickory dickory dock_.”

My feet were on fire, I felt like I was being amputated by something. This was pain I’d never felt before. My body was shaking in an effort to accept what was happening, but it wasn’t working.

My eyes were squeezed shut in an attempt to shut out the screaming in my ears, but it was to no avail.

Azzami released my ankle and picked up the third and final iron. Its inscription was different again.

سترګې

He heated it up and hummed the third verse of his song, bopping his head along to his own beat. I could feel the tears streaming down my cheeks as he picked up my right leg again.

Then he pressed the scorching brand into the side of my leg, right above my ankle bone. My chest was convulsing with the effort to keep my heart beating despite its current erratic state.

The amber liquid that Azzami had injected me with had not accounted for the regularity of my organs. He wanted to make me numb to prolong my torture, but he hadn’t thought about my organs trying to keep up with the pain.

He heated the iron again before pressing it in the same place above my ankle on my left leg. My inner screaming had since overpowered the sound of his deranged singing and I could feel my breaths coming out in pants as my body tried to cope.

My mind was crying and screaming at the same time.

The pain was unexplainable. It was like someone had covered me in gasoline, lit me on fire, and then tried to drown me on the ocean, only, I was somehow still burning underwater.

My lungs were filled to the brim and my skin was scorching.

All I knew is that I was dying.

Azzami finally lifted the iron from my skin and threw it to the floor. If I’d had control of my body, I’d probably have jumped at the sound. Then suddenly, Azzami’s face was in front of my own.

He was pouting. “I don’t think I should have given you that drug, Sweetness. I much rather like it when I can hear your scream and beg for mercy,” he frowned. Then he sighed.

And then I was alone again. I could hear him rifling through his tools again. I tried to look down to see what he was doing, and only saw his figure hunched near my feet. Picked up both my feet and began weighing them in his hands along to the beat of his new song.

“Eeny, meeny, miny, moe. Catch a tiger by the toe. If he squeals let him go. Eeny, meeny, miny, moe.”

My questions were finally answered as I felt him pick up my left foot again. “This little piggy went to the market,” he sang holding my big toe. Then he looked up at me. “Come along, dear, I’m sure you know the words, feel free to sing along.”

Azzami let out a childlike giggle at his own joke before picking up my second toe. “And this little piggy stayed home.” He picked up my third toe. My heartbeat increased. “This little piggy had roast beef.” Fourth toe. My lungs were pounding with the force of my breath. “And this little piggy had none.”

Then something cold was enclosed around my pinky toe and my lungs suddenly stopped generating air. “And this little piggy cried ‘wee wee wee’ _aaaalllllll_ the way home.” My mind screeched as I heard the cold tool slice through skin and bone before clanging to the floor. My back bowed unwillingly as my eyes fell shut aggressively and my mouth parted in want to scream.

While my body protested the sheer amount of pain that it was in, Azzami abandoned the tool he’d just used to pull my pinky toe from my foot, and instead pressed the tip of a knife into my bicep. He’d at some point unchained my arm and now had it laid out before him.

His face was glaring at me, showing me the snap of his bi polar emotions. “Now, how about we stop playing games and finish this once and for all, hmm?” he asked.

My eyes were wide as tears streamed from them. I couldn’t protest even if I wanted to. Azzami just glared at my lack of response.

“Your boyfriend needs to be taught a lesson. He took something of mine and destroyed it, so now, I will mutilate you until you are unrecognizable to him. You will be a horrific masterpiece. That pretty little face will be shredded to ribbons, but first, I’ll start with your arm,” he spat.

Then the tip of his knife sunk into my bicep. The amount of pain finally let my body override the drugs in my system as my mouth fell open and let out an almighty scream.

Azzami froze at my outburst before giving me a face-splitting grin.

“Now, we’re talking,” he grinned, then focusing once again on my arm. I screamed as I felt the curve of his knife on my arm. He was writing something, that much I could tell, but I didn’t know what.

My screams became his symphony as he worked and my body shook with the amount of effort I was putting into snapping out of these damn drugs. When he finished, he stepped back to admire his handiwork. He gave a haunting grin before he dipped a finger into the smear of blood over my skin.

He brought it up, before walking to the wall beside him. He began writing something on the wall, in my blood. He returned to his artwork many times for more blood, before he was finally left with one shakily written message.

**An eye for an eye leaves everyone blind. The score is even once again.**

Then I heard a crash and a few faint pops. Azzami’s eyes snapped to the door and he scowled. He turned back to me with a vicious glare. Someone was here, shooting at his men. From the expression on his face, I think we both knew who it was.

I took my chance to pick up the knife he’d discarded beside me. I’d fought off the drugs enough to move. I’d heard of people doing crazy things when hyped up on adrenaline, like picking up cars. And this might have been my only chance to thwart my inevitable murder.

Something people didn’t know about me, was that I was a pretty good shot with a gun, but with knives, I never missed. And so, I threw that knife straight at his face. It caught him in the eye, embedding itself in the skin. Azzami let out a harsh screech as he clutched his eye and the stream of blood now coursing from the wound.

I silently cursed, I hadn’t had enough strength behind the throw to kill him. With the right amount of pressure, that knife would have gone straight through to his brain and that would’ve been the end of him.

Damn these fucking drugs.

My body sagged from the exertion as Azzami screamed beside me. I was paralyzed once more as my body had used its last energy reserve with that stunt. Hopefully his volume would alert someone to my presence in this damn freezer.

“You poisonous bitch!” Azzami screamed, then he drew a gun from the waistband of his pants. He held one hand over his eye as he walked straight up to me and pressed the barrel to the middle of my forehead.

“Your friend’s rescue will be in vain. You will not live to see it through,” he vowed, his voice low. “It’s a true shame I didn’t get to finish what I started with you, but I’m satisfied with the fact that your death will make the Sergeant wish he’d never touched my brother.” My eyes fell shut as I listened to him cock the gun.

Then I heard the springs tighten as his finger pressed down on the trigger.

.

**Anyone else find nursery rhymes super creepy?**


	33. 31

**CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE**

***trigger warning – violent content***

**Gage**

I scowled as we pulled up at the abattoir. We’d finally tracked down the final hiding place of that Taliban scum. The factory on Shacks Road had been the first in a series of disappointing locations in what could only be described as a sick goose chase.

We had arrived at the abandoned factory, I had been extremely wary of the fact that the place seemed eerily quiet. In my experience with these guys, that kind of silence meant that there was a bomb or a sniper somewhere.

If we had gone in guns blazing, we were sure to have our heads blown off from some hundred yards away.

But all that awaited us was a few riddled messages haphazardly written on the walls in various stages of drying blood. None of us asked whose blood or how old it was. Inevitably, the riddles led us on a three-day chase in which none of us slept.

I couldn’t anyway. Without Cora by my side, I would’ve been plagued with insomnia. I wouldn’t let myself sleep until she was safe, and then, I would leave her in the safety of her family.

She didn’t need me ruining her life any more than I already had.

The last three days had been spent riding from different buildings in Okeechobee, to others in Lorida, to even one in Miami. Then finally we wound back up in our town, outside the slaughterhouse that had been condemned for around two years.

The rest of the brothers posted up beside me, their bikes fanning out on both sides. Lucas was next to me, practically throwing his helmet to the ground as he pulled two Glocks from the waistband of his riding jeans.

I wished I had my M4 Carbine, but in this environment, it wasn’t really going to be as useful or as versatile as a Glock would be. I too, had two in the back of my waistband. I also had a Beretta M9 on both sides of the inside of my cut, then had two knives in my boots. I was wearing heavy Kevlar, like every other brother, because I was expecting the maximum heat from these guys.

Strapped to my thigh was a standard pistol. I scowled as I slid off my bike and looked around our group. So far, this location was the most heavily guarded, and had a few blacked-out vans in sight.

This slaughterhouse was our best bet so far, and honestly, the last place that Azzami could be holding everyone. It was large and secure enough, and it was abandoned, which was a plus for the activities I had no doubt occurred here.

Lucas began spouting orders to various groups of members, ordering them to go around the back and to not hesitate in shooting anyone that came against them. I didn’t need to listen to whatever instructions he gave to every other member, I knew where I’d be in this situation.

Either I’d storm in the front first, or Lucas would, and Viper and I would be at his flanks. I would kill anything that moved until I could bring my Coraline home safely. Once the other brothers started moving, my eyes flipped over to Talon.

His eyes held the same determination as me, and on his left was Viper. It wasn’t often that I saw the joking man become morose, but in that moment, he looked fierce enough to make Hitler want to shit his pants.

My jaw locked into place as Talon gave me a nod, then the three of use were running to the front door. Nothing was guarded, so he placed his boot in the center of the door and blew the whole thing in.

Inside the doorway was a corridor and at the end of the corridor was a man kneeling with a bazooka over his shoulder. Before the man could let the rocket fly, Jax raised his arm and let out one perfectly aimed shot from his gun.

The bullet hit the man squarely between the eyes, and his eyes rolled into the back of his head before his entire body hit the floor. My eyes whipped to the side as I heard the unmistakable click of a pin leaving a grenade. I raised my Glock and rounded a corner wall, shooting once at the man holding the bomb.

When he went down, I covered the grenade with the body of the man as the whine began to increase. I called for Jax and Talon to take cover as the grenade exploded. I hid behind a wall as the other two men used the bazooka man as a shield.

Once the explosion had subsided, I released my fingers from my ears that I’d placed so as not to shatter my ear drums. I surveyed the damage done to the walls, but the man’s body seemed to have taken the brunt of the grenade’s force.

Jax whistled. “Damn. These pricks don’t mess around,” he spat as his foot kicked at the discarded rocket launcher.

“No time for that, J,” Talon growled, pressing forward. We made our way through the mess of corridors. I led the way as my military skills gave me an air of experience that allowed me to lean into my senses and really see things in perspective.

The three of us worked in unison as we fired bullets at on coming men. Most of them went down with one shot, others were more wily. But, if I were being honest with myself, none of them were Taliban men.

If I had to guess, I’d say that Azzami hired hordes of American losers and dregs with nothing better to do and made them extreme promises that he had no intention of seeing through.

No. If I knew the Taliban man like I thought I did, he’d have one or two men native to Afghanistan that were loyal to him, and every other man we made our way through had only become collateral damage.

They were just bodies for us to tear down and give Azzami more time to go through with whatever heinous plan he had in mind for Coraline. I let out a yell of frustration as I whipped a knife through a man trying to advance at my right side.

From the corner of my eye, I saw a man in brown skin duck to the side. He had a dark beard, and looked middle eastern enough for me to want to follow him. I directed Lucas and Jax forward in their original direction as I motioned that I would explore a separate corridor alone.

Lucas looked unhappy at my decision to go alone, but knew that I could handle myself. I quickly ducked after the familiar looking man. When I thrust open the door he’d disappeared into, I came up short with nothing. The door only led to another corridor.

I squinted as I tried to use my hearing. It was hard as in the background, all I could focus on was the consisted firing of my brothers. But then, through the haze, I heard something that shattered my heart.

A woman was screaming.

Not just any woman.

My muscles tensed as I surged forward. I was on high alert for the familiar looking man to jump out at any time. When the empty corridor rounded a corner, I was almost hit over the head with a giant metal pipe.

At the end of the hallway was a large metal freezer door. I turned my eyes on the familiar man, who had bloodshot eyes and a deep scowl beneath his course beard.

Now _this_ was a Taliban man.

I scowled at the man as he swung his pipe forward, making me drop my gun. He kicked it away and then came for me with the pipe. I growled and kicked his kneecaps in, making him double over. Then I punched him across the jaw, making him spit blood onto the floor.

My hands came down on the pipe as I pushed him backwards until he was up against the wall. I pushed the pipe under his chin and into his neck, before using it to push him upwards until he was dangling.

His eyes were wide as his skin began to turn a purple color. His feet were writhing as he gasped for air. I held no mercy for him because he had played a part in the kidnapping of the girl I… of Coraline.

When he finally passed out, I let go of the pipe, allowing the man and the steel weapon to clatter to the ground. Then I picked up my discarded gun and shot him once in the head.

This man did not deserve to live.

Then my gaze turned to the steel door before me. I could hear a soft whimper, followed by a small scream of protest, and then a harsh yell of anger. From the caliber of voices, I guessed one man and one woman were inside.

And I knew which woman.

My eyes glazed over with a red film as I used the butt of my gun to bash at the lock on the door until it broke. Then I thrust the door open in time to see Azzami pressing the barrel of his gun into a naked Coraline’s forehead.

My possessive streak was a raging bull at the pure fact that he’d seen Coraline in this state, and my anger was in overdrive at the truth of what he’d done to her. My limbs worked on instinct as I raised my Glock and fired at the stainless-steel wall behind the both of them. The gunshot made the man jump, away from Coraline.

The girl looked half dead, and I forced myself not to focus on the steady stream of blood coming from the burns on her feet, and the severed toe on the ground. I would focus on those when this son of a bitch was dead.

My heart was racing as Azzami looked up at me a gave me a bloody-toothed grin. His face was covered in the blood streaming from his eye socket. The knife that had no doubt done the damage was dropped on the floor.

I glanced over the bloody words on the wall, scowling at his message. His deranged brain had convinced itself that I was somehow to blame for Isaad’s suicide. Before I could move, Azzami had picked up the bloody knife that Coraline had no doubt stabbed in his eye, from the floor and had brought Coraline’s lifeless body in close to him.

He drew the knife to her neck, holding it there and forcing me to watch as a bead of red blood bloomed across the blade. I glared at the man, raising my gun and pointing it at his head, unwavering in my focus.

“How nice of you to finally join us, Sergeant,” Azzami grinned. “I don’t suppose you’ve come to enjoy the show?”

I let out a growl as my eyes only hardened. Coraline was unmoving and her eyes were half lidded. I would’ve thought she was dead if Azzami wasn’t going to such an effort to threaten her life.

“The only thing I’ll be enjoying, is your death,” my voice was thin and sharp, much like the blade in his hand. I took a step closer and Azzami pressed the knife into her throat with more force. Coraline broke my heart by letting out a small breath of air that turned into a slight whimper.

“Ah, ah, ah, now Sergeant. Surely you know better than to take another step,” Azzami taunted. My eyes were trained on the single tear that tracked its way down Coraline’s cheek.

“What’s to stop me from shooting you where you stand?” I growled. Azzami pouted.

“Well that just takes all the fun out of the game, now doesn’t it?” The blood from his eye was dripping into Coraline’s hair with every jolt of his movements and I grimaced. Before I could shoot the man, he decided to drop Coraline.

My eyes widened slightly as her head hit the corner of the steel table on the way down. The sound reverberated through the steel framed wall. Azzami looked down in shock, then back up at me with a laugh.

“I didn’t think she’d be this noisy,” he giggled. “When they told me, American girls made a lot of noise, I never thought it would be like this.” I saw red at his insinuation and raised my gun, firing two quick shots into his chest.

Azzami fell to his knees as the knife in his hand crashed to the floor. His hands came to his chest as he covered the bullet wounds in shock. Then his last breath left his chest as he exhaled with a small laugh.

When his head hit the floor, I shot him one last time in the head for good measure, then I ran to Coraline.

I fell to my knees at her side as I reached for her. Her body was incredibly cold as I wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her upwards. My eyes fell upon a word scribed into her right bicep.

_Cooperation._

I growled at the word, that asshole really went all out to spread a damn message. I turned back to Coraline’s face, my breathing erratic as I lifted a hand behind her head.

Her eyes were closed and my heart was racing.

“ _Gamó_ , Coraline,” I whispered, stroking down her cheek, trying to coax her eyes open. “ _Moró,_ please open your eyes. Please come back to me, please.”

I lay my head on her chest, feeling her shallow breaths to help remind myself she was still alive.

“Coraline, _please_ ,” I begged. “Just open your eyes.” I pressed a chaste kiss to her lips in hope that fairytales and princess stories had some merit.

I found out pretty quickly that they don’t.

I let out a holler of frustration as I pulled Coraline into my lap. I had done this to her. I had condemned her to this action. She was here because of me. She was broken and bloody because of me.

“ _Skatá, Korálli,_ please, please, please. Just open your fucking eyes, shit, Coraline, please!” I felt a tear of anger slip from my eye and watched it fall onto her cheek, mixing with the smear of blood and dirt there.

I let out another yell because there was nothing that I could do for her. I ripped off my Kevlar and my shirt underneath before laying it over her, covering her up. I was going to bring her outside, and she deserved the respect of not being ogled by every MC member whilst in this state.

When I managed to get the cotton shirt over her head, her lids were lifted slightly. I surged forward and gripped her face.

“Coraline!”

The girl released a shaky breath before looking up at me. “ _Moró_ , tell me where it hurts the most and I’ll be gentle,” I managed to say.

Coraline let out a small whimper before shaking her head slightly. “He drugged me. Can’t… feel anything… The others… basement,” she managed to whisper, then her eyes fluttered closed as her body gave in and she passed out.

My mind was racing as clipped my Kevlar back on. I lifted her up and carried her from the room, stepping easily over Azzami’s lifeless body. I carried her from the mess of bodies that greeted me in the rest of the corridors until I was standing back outside with the rest of the bikes.

Lucas came running out behind me, his eyes trained on his last family member. I watched as he was focused on the burns on her feet.

“I will fucking kill him!” Lucas yelled, moving to storm back into the building.

“It’s done, Talon,” I said, my voice gruff. “We need to get her to the hospital asap, but she said something about the others being in the basement.”

Talon’s eyes widened before he nodded and raced back inside. I managed to haul myself into one of the trucks that a prospect had brought. Then I gunned the engine and made my way to the hospital, knowing that the others could finish the job we started, but right now, Coraline was my main priority.

.

**I have nothing sarcastic nor witty to say here because it’s two in the morning.**


	34. 32

**CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO**

**Gage**

My lids were heavy as my eyes were trained on Coraline. She was lying in a backless hospital garment, propped up in one of the beds in a private room.

I scowled as for the hundred time that day, my eyes raked over the countless tubes and wires pressed into her skin. There was one measuring her heartbeat, which was steady. There was one measuring her breath and lung capacity, which was also steady. There was one testing her brainwaves, which had been slow when they first turned it on, because of the drugs, but it was mostly normal now.

There was a breathing aid in her mouth to help her if anything happened. There was an IV in her left arm feeding her fluids and the proper nutrients, then there was an blood drip in her right arm to make sure her red cell count was back to normal.

Her hair had been washed and was splayed out across the pillow like a stream of melted chocolate. Her right bicep had a bandage over the word I knew was written there. Her neck had swabs and bandages over where that asshole had injected her.

Her feet and lower legs were wrapped in layers of gauze and were covered with a thick hospital blanket. Under the blanket and gown, I knew her entire body was covered in bruises. They’d cleaned off the dried blood from everywhere and given her a proper bath before placing her in that bed.

Then they’d assured me that she’d wake up within the hour.

And yet, it had been three days.

None of the doctors knew how to help, because they’d never encountered the drug cocktail that had been injected into her, and I assumed that it was something foreign that they’d never know how to remedy.

So, instead, we were playing a waiting game.

I leant back in my chair as my eyes threatened to close. In the past week between searching for Coraline, finding her, and waiting for her to wake up, I’d gotten maybe fifteen hours sleep total.

My body refused to sleep when I was allowed to see her during visiting hours, and then when I was home, I was wide awake with worry. The only moments I’d been able to find sleep was when my body literally gave up on me.

My eyes watched the shadows made on her face from the setting sun. I frowned before I pulled my phone from my pocket, checking the time.

_6.40pm_.

Visiting hours would be over soon. I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. I heard the door click open before Lucas appeared. He cast his sister a careful glance before his eyes fell to me.

I was sitting in a chair facing Coraline, but at the opposite end of the room. I refused to be any closer to her. She was in this damn hospital because of me, she didn’t need me hurting her any more than I already had.

Lucas gave me a frown and shook his head. He didn’t understand why I was being distant.

“The nurse sent me in here to tell you you’ve got like ten minutes left,” he said, his voice low. I nodded once before my gaze fell back to his sister. She was as motionless as ever.

I heard Lucas sigh from beside me. “You know I can tell them you guys are engaged or something so that you can stay here overnight. You know how anal they are about only having family stay,” Lucas offered, for the fifth time in three days.

I shook my head slightly.

I appreciated the way that he wanted to help me, but I was trying to do what was best for Coraline. He walked forward and sat in the seat beside Coraline, taking her hand in his and squeezing it tight.

I watched with careful wary as his thumb ran back and forth over the back of her hand. He was soothing himself more than her, afterall, she couldn’t feel it, and didn’t know any of it was happening. Lucas and I sat in silence for a few more minutes, then he turned to me with a look of pity in his eyes.

“Can you stop torturing yourself?” he asked. I glared at him and he sighed.

“I’m not,” I said, my voice low. Lucas rolled his eyes.

“Please, I’m not an idiot. I know you think you did this to her, that you somehow caused this, _but you_ _didn’t._ You did what was best for your country overseas, under someone else’s orders, and the Taliban did this.

“This was not your fault, it was the fault of a deranged man hung up on his dead brother, who betrayed his own country in the first place,” Lucas said, his teeth gritted. “You need to stop tormenting yourself when you _know_ that you didn’t do this to her.”

I glared at the floor. “But I _did_ , Lucas,” I said angrily.

Lucas frowned at me and I sighed, running my hand through my hair and then down my tired face.

“Everything that I did overseas, I knew would come back to haunt me. Which is why I pushed her away for so damn long. I knew that if she got involved with me, it would hurt her in the long run. And I was fucking right,” I spat. Then I got up from my seat and stormed from the room without giving either of them a second glance.

Visiting hours were over anyway. I wasn’t supposed to be here.

As I stalked down the hallway, my eyes were drawn to the closed doors of the other rooms in the hallway. I knew that behind them was Rosalind, Linc, Stacey, and another girl whose name I didn’t know.

After I’d told Lucas where they were being held back at the slaughterhouse, they’d managed to get down there and get them out. As far as I knew, we only lost one brother to Azzami’s men.

It was one of the prospects. He’d sacrificed himself to kill the guard at the door, allowing Lucas and Jax to get through to the others. The kid was a hero, but he shouldn’t have had to die because of me.

Roz, Stacey and the other girl had all been hooked onto Heroin whilst in Azzami’s hold, so the hospital was having to help them through withdrawals. Thankfully none of them were injected with whatever strong shit he’d given Coraline, so that was good news at least.

Linc made it out with nothing more than a bullet in each arm, so he was stitched up and released within a day. Rosalind had to undergo surgery for a bullet in her leg that shattered her femur, so she would need physical therapy while she was in rehab with the other girls.

I ran a hand down my face again as I stormed from the hospital. I swung a leg over my bike and flew from the lot. I needed to clear my head, so I went for a drive.

Somehow, I ended up outside the slaughterhouse. It was in an obscure part of town, off the highway with no neighbors because of the smell it used to create. No one had heard us during our rescue three days ago.

And no one had come to clean up either. That building was riddled with the dead bodies of every man Azzami had hired to carry out his revenge. I growled under my breath. The building might have been abandoned, but I happened to know it was also used as a drop off point for many drug dealers, and it was used by lowlife kids as a place to hide from their parents.

Sooner or later, someone was bound to stumble across what had happened here, and they’d call the police. Every single bullet in that place could be tied back to us. I sighed and pulled out my burner, calling Jax.

_“What’s up, man? Cora up yet?”_ he asked, picking up on the second ring. I scowled at his words.

“No. I’m at the abattoir. These bodies are gonna come back to us. We need to get rid of them and burn the evidence,” I said, my voice rough at the mention of her.

_“Alright. What do you need?”_ he asked. I sighed.

“We can use the vans here to transport the bodies to the hole. Then we can set the place on fire. But right now, I just need manpower,” I said. I could hear Jax yelling orders around him before he turned back to our conversation.

_“You sure you wanna use the hole?”_ he asked.

“Positive. We need to destroy the DNA. Whoever you’re sending this way, make sure they’re covered head to toe,” I said.

_“Done deal. They’ll be there in ten,”_ Jax said, his voice hard. _“I hope you know what you’re doing, Trig.”_

Then the call shut off.

I waited ten minutes while it got darker for the others to show up. I was then met with about ten men, three were prospects. They stood at attention as they waited for instructions. I glared at all of them.

“We search the place top to bottom, haul out every body and load them into their own vans,” I said. The boys all nodded and then went inside the abandoned meat factory. An hour later, every dead man was loaded into their own vans.

I pointed at three brothers and a prospect. “You four will stay here and light the place up. I trust Viper told you which supplies you’d need?” I asked. One of the brothers nodded.

“There’s gasoline in the truck.”

I nodded. “Douse the place, then gets yards away, make sure you’ve got nothing on you, then light it up,” I said. The boys nodded and then got to work. I turned to the rest of them.

“The rest of you will drive these vans and follow me out to the hole,” I said. “Anyone here without a strong stomach?” I looked pointedly at the remaining two prospects. They looked scared shitless. This was nothing.

This would count as their initiation into the club, and it was nowhere near as gruesome as my own initiation. There was a reason my nickname was Trigger.

I hauled myself onto my bike as the others loaded into the vans, then they were following me to an abandoned lot out of town in the middle of nowhere. There, was the hole.

The hole was a ten foot deep, ten foot wide bunker in the middle of nowhere, and it was half filled with Sulfuric Acid and Lye. I grimaced as I opened the bunker doors and let the smell waft into the air.

“Cover your mouths and dump them,” I said.

The boys did as I said and I watched as body after body was thrown into the hole. We got through half the men when we had to wait a while for the bodies to start dissolving. I looked over at the two prospects to see one white faced and wide eyes.

I walked over to him and clapped him on the shoulder. He looked up at me with a grimace. Then I walked to the van furthest from the hole. The boys started dumping the rest of the bodies.

And last but not least was Azzami. I scowled at his body as it lay in it’s Armani suit. It was soaked in blood from his eye and the two shots I’d put in his chest.

I glared at the body before picking it up with ease and slinging it over my shoulder. I walked swiftly to the hole and dumped the body. I took great satisfaction in watching the skin dissolve from his bones, and then watched as the bones began to break down.

The asshole deserved worse and more.

“Shut it up,” I said. The boys closed the lid, trapping the fumes inside, then they all turned back to me. “Take the vans, go back to the slaughterhouse. It won’t have finished burning. Crash the vans into the fire by putting something on the pedals to make them go. Make it look like an accident,” I ordered.

All the brothers nodded, piling into the vans. Then, I got back onto my bike and left them. Those bodies would do the rest of the dissolving on their own, and the slaughterhouse fire would stay contained to its lot.

Right now, I needed sleep.

More importantly, I needed Coraline, but I knew that I would never let myself near her again.

When the morning came, I’d be leaving.

It was what was best for her.

.

**I can’t help but seem to add cliché on top of fucking cliché in this book, ughhhhhhhh.**


	35. 33

**CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE**

**Coraline**

I zoned in and out of the conversations happening in my room. I was propped up in a sitting position in my hospital bed. My head felt heavy, but I didn’t have the heart to tell them all – Lucas, Jax and Luna – to leave. They wouldn’t let me visit Roz or Linc either.

They’d been all too excited when I woke up this morning – apparently, I’d been out for a few days because the doctors had no idea what Azzami had injected into me. The second I’d woken up, Lucas had been at my side, calling for a nurse. Then I’d been rushed through a bunch of tests before I could even form a sentence.

Once everything had calmed down and Lucas let go of his immediate worry-turned-relief frenzy, I was finally able to get a word in. My body felt numb, but the nurse assured me that that was only because of the morphine.

I could see myself moving my limbs but I couldn’t exactly feel everything fully yet, so I just opted for lying still.

As I looked around the room, the absence of one presence was enough to make my heart fall. I had watched Jax leave the room for a moment about two hours ago, then seen him make a call from the gaps in the blinds.

I’d have bet my entire inheritance on who was on the other end of that phone call, but it didn’t make a difference either way, because he hadn’t shown up.

He didn’t care that I was awake.

That realization hurt more than every mark that Azzami had placed on my body.

He didn’t care.

I frowned at my clasped hands in my lap, trying to shake away the sting of rejection. I tried to blink away the tears that I knew were a product of exhaustion. He didn’t deserve my tears. He couldn’t be bothered to visit me in this place, so I knew exactly how he felt about me, now.

I was just a conquest. I was just worth one night. I wasn’t worth sticking around for. Every damn thing he’d told me had been a waste of time. He’d only snared me further in his web, but he was always going to eat me alive.

He was always going to cast me aside and keep living his own life.

He didn’t care about me, he was going to leave me high and dry.

And for that, I hated him.

I swiped clumsily at my eye, trying to rid the tears before anyone else saw it. Unfortunately, I wasn’t so lucky, because when I looked up, my brother was staring right at me. I frowned at him and shook my head. I didn’t want to talk about it.

Especially with Lucas, because he still didn’t know anything about what happened between me and his best friend.

_God,_ even his name hurt to think about.

I watched as Lucas gave Jax a pointed look. Jax nodded before turning to Luna.

“Hey, Luna, I heard there was really shit coffee in the cafeteria, wanna come try it with me?” Jax voiced. Luna raised an eyebrow at him and shook her head.

“I hate coffee, Jacob, you know that,” Luna laughed. Jax just rolled his eyes at her use of his real name.

“They have double choc chip cookies too…”

Luna grinned. “You should’ve led with that, idiot.” Then Luna turned to me. “Want anything, hun?”

I shook my head and she gave me an understanding nod before she followed Jax out the door, and he shut it behind them, giving me a wink as he left. I just rolled my eyes.

I turned to look back at Lucas, who was staring at me. It was a little unnerving. Sometimes Lucas did this thing where he would stare at you until you became so uncomfortable that whatever truth he wanted from you just came blurting right out.

Since becoming president, he’d gotten very good at it. It came in handy when the prospects fucked up somehow. And now his gaze was trained on me.

I knew what he wanted me to spill. He wanted me to admit what I felt for Gage. Well, it wasn’t going to work this time. The amount of shit I’d been through in the past week was enough to shut me up forever.

Plus, I didn’t know how I felt about Gage. Before everything that happened, I was sure I wanted to be with him, but now…

Now everything was as muddy as it was before he came back. If he would just show up and visit me then I could clear the air and see what he wanted. But, at this point, it was looking pretty clear that he wanted nothing to do with me.

His absence only proved that.

I stared at my brother. He wasn’t giving up on his game, but my resolve was just as strong as his, so he’d be staring for a while with no results.

After a while, he gave up and tried a different approach.

“I know about you and Trig,” he shrugged, his eyes still trained on me. _So, he was going to reverse psychology me into confirming what he wanted?_ I refused to give him a reaction. I didn’t feel like being yelled at today.

Lucas sighed when I didn’t reply and rolled his eyes. “I’m not kidding, Coraline. He told me everything the day you were taken.”

I narrowed my gaze at my brother. He sounded sincere, but I didn’t know how to reply to him if he really was telling the truth. Lucas gave a small chuckle at the obvious confusion on my face.

“Honestly, I thought it was about time that the two of you came to your senses,” he said.

My eyebrows furrowed. I was so confused right now. “What the fuck are you talking about?” I asked, my voice scratchy from having been in a coma for three days. This was the first thing I’d said since I woke up.

Lucas raised an eyebrow at me. “Seriously? You didn’t know?”

I shook my head at him, still confused. Lucas just laughed.

“Who do you think set you two up in the first place?” He asked, giving me a pointed look. “Don’t you think it was a little coincidental that you got evicted right when I knew that Trig was coming home? Who do you think was responsible for that little move there, Cora?”

I couldn’t reply, I was dumbfounded. _Lucas had… he’d… what?_

Lucas laughed. “Who do you think suggested that you should spend a week alone with him in Miami?”

I shook my head, I didn’t know how to register what I was hearing. Lucas just grinned before moving to sit closer to me. He took my hand in his and began stroking the skin softly. He looked right into my eyes with a small smile.

“Cora, I’ve known that you two were meant for each other since the moment you fucking met. No one was ever going to compliment him as well as you could, and him you, because I knew you two had things that you could offer each other.

“I knew you both had some growing up to do first, but I knew that when he came back home, you two would hit it off. I’ll be honest, I didn’t think it would take so long for him to come back, or for you guys to finally make a move on each other, but I’m glad it finally happened,” Lucas admitted.

I was still speechless as he grinned down at me.

“Plus, however much you don’t like to admit it, I know the both of you very well. I knew that by telling you he was off limits would only fuel your fire. You’ve always been that way, Coraline, always wanting what you can’t or shouldn’t have, going for the shock factor or for whatever would piss off the person who told you what to do the most.

“I knew making him untouchable would only make you go harder for it. You’re stubborn, but you’re predictable, little sis,” he laughed.

My mouth was on the floor. I was shell shocked at his scheme.

He had played me, and it had fucking worked so well, and exactly how he’d planned it.

What an asshole.

I felt a scowl touch my lips before I glared at Lucas. “Well don’t act so happy about it. Your plan fucking failed, otherwise he’d be standing here in this damn room. But he’s not, because he doesn’t want me that way,” I said, my voice low and full of hate.

Because in that moment, I really did hate Gage.

He was being a stubborn asshole who was trying to do what was best for me. But he was an idiot, because all I wanted was for him to fucking be here.

“You know that’s not true, Cor. He just needs some time…”

“That’s a fucking bullshit excuse,” I snapped at my brother. “He’s not the one who was physically tortured. If anyone is supposed to need time, it’s me. I fucking _know_ that Jax called him earlier, and he _still_ didn’t come. If that’s not fucking proof of how he really fucking feels about me then I don’t know what fucking is.”

If I was allowed to walk on my feet, I’d have stormed from the room. But, I couldn’t, because of the aforementioned torture. I was practically chained to this hospital bed, and therefore chained to the awkward silence that followed my outburst.

But I felt the outburst was warranted.

My brother was sitting here trying to feed me bullshit about happy couples and other crap but I knew the real story. I knew Gage wasn’t interested, or at least just didn’t care anymore.

I crossed my arms over my chest and looked down, away from my brother, as tears fell down my cheeks. It seemed I had no control over that reflex these days.

I heard him sigh from beside me as he shifted in his seat. He made himself comfortable as I sniffled quietly. Then he lay a hand over my shoulder and began stroking down my skin to comfort me.

He leant his head on my shoulder and I leaned on his head. Lucas knew I needed something familiar in that moment, and he knew I wasn’t really mad at him, I was just mad at my situation.

“You know he was here every day that you were asleep, right?” Lucas asked. I moved away from him to give him a questioning look. Lucas only sent me one of pity, shaking his head slightly.

“Yeah right,” I muttered. Lucas just shrugged.

“He sat in that chair over there for every minute that visiting hours were open. The guy barely slept, but he was here every damn day,” he said. His voice was low as my eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

Lucas stroked my back again before giving my good arm a squeeze. “Just…” Lucas sighed. “Just don’t blame him too quickly,” he said. “He believes everything that happened is his fault, and he’s killing himself for believing that he hurt you. And he’s afraid he’s going to do it again.”

Then he got up from his seat, leaving me in complete confusion.

 _Why did Gage have to be so fucking annoying with everything he did?_ The man drove me insane.

“I think I should go. You’re probably overwhelmed,” Lucas said, walking towards the door. I nodded as I watched him go. But as he was about to close the door, I stopped him.

“Wait, Lou!”

He opened the door a crack to give me a questioning look. I twiddled my thumbs. I needed to take my mind off Gage, and there was only one person who could help me.

“Can I see Roz?” I asked. Lucas frowned, sighing.

“I’ll clear it with your nurse,” he said, before leaving the room and letting the door fall shut silently behind him. Ten minutes later, my bed was being wheeled out of my room and into the one two doors down.

Roz gave me a tired smile upon seeing me come in.

“You’re awake,” she said, her voice sluggish and her eyelids drooping.

I frowned. “Bad time?” I asked. Roz quickly shook her head and then winced. The nurse wheeled my bed right up next to hers and I reached out my hand. Roz took it and I was glad to have her near me.

“How’s your leg?” I asked, looking down at her blanket covered limb which I knew must’ve been covered in some kind of cast. Roz just shrugged.

“Could be worse, I guess. The bullet shattered my thigh bone, so they had to set it with steel pins and I don’t know what else. It’ll take ages to heal fully, plus physical therapy. Doc thinks it’ll take a year or more,” she said, her voice small.

I winced at the truth of how bad her injuries were. All of mine were surface level and wouldn’t take more than a month to heal. Hers would affect her for the rest of her life.

“Dunno what I’ll do for work, though,” she sighed, “I’m guessing Manny probably won’t let a cripple up on his stage.” She let out a hollow laugh and I grimaced.

She had always hated dancing at the Flower Petal, but at least it paid well.

“Maybe you can become permanent staff behind the bar?” I offered.

Roz laughed. “Coming up to two months’ absence from work? I’d be lucky if Manny even let me through the door.” Her laugh was without humor, it was empty and dark. “Besides, the crutches would be a tripping hazard for the girls giving lap dances.”

I felt incredibly guilty. I had fucked up the rest of my best friend’s life. I should be counting my blessings that she’s even still willing to talk to me.

Roz sighed. “I don’t wanna talk about what I’m gonna do for money,” she said lowly, then she turned to face me. “I wanna know how the fuck we got out of there. How did Talon find us? What happened to you? One moment I fell asleep with you in the room, the next I’m waking up with a bullet in my thigh and Stacey trying to stop the blood while you’re nowhere to be seen. And Gen dead in the next fucking cell.”

I winced at the mention of the dead girl.

“Two guys came in while you were out. They killed Gen and then shot you and Linc, then demanded I come upstairs with them. They took me to the leader guy, then he told me he was going to kill me, and tortured me. I stabbed him in the eye and then Gage showed up. I don’t really remember what happened after that,” I said truthfully.

Roz sent me a curious look.

“Trigger found you?” she asked, her voice small. I tried not to wince. I didn’t want to tell Roz about Gage. I didn’t want to have to talk about the fact that I’d practically forgotten about her on my quest for a good dicking.

And I didn’t want to admit to her that whatever we’d had in the bedroom was very much over.

_I didn’t want to hurt her more than I already had._

My eyes widened at that particular realization as I finally understood why Gage hadn’t come to see me. He felt so incredibly responsible for what had happened to me that he was doing this for my benefit.

Or so he thought. He thought I was better off without him.

Like I thought Roz was better off without me.

But he wasn’t giving me a choice, and I wasn’t giving Roz one. I needed to change that.

“Cora?” Roz asked and my eyes snapped back up to meet hers. There was a small twinkle of humor in her eyes. “You zoned out for a sec.”

I nodded, running a hand through my hair. “Yeah, sorry. I was just thinking about something.”

Roz nodded. “I get it. It’s him, right?” she asked.

I sent her a stricken look. This choice was killing me. I felt like I was having to choose between my best friend, and Gage.

If I chose Gage, would I lose Roz as more than a sexual partner? Would she remain my best friend or would she choose to go? She had stuck by me since the day he’d left, and I didn’t know if I was ready to let go of her.

I was incredibly selfish, and torn.

“I don’t know,” I answered honestly.

Roz raised an eyebrow at me and I frowned.

“I mean it. I don’t know what I want, and I don’t know what he wants, and I don’t know what you want. I’m stuck and I don’t want to choose because I don’t want to lose either of you,” I admitted, hugging my chest slightly at the ache that came with thinking about him.

Roz sighed. She reached her hand out and stroked my face. I leant into the warmth of her hand, finding comfort in the familiar.

“Cor, I’m gonna make this easier for you,” she said. I frowned because I knew what was coming and I wasn’t ready for it. Roz just smiled sadly. “What we had was fun, but let’s be real. He’s who you’re meant to be with. You and I… well it was great, but… I could never love you the way he can.

“Don’t think I never noticed the way you wouldn’t let me touch you, like _really_ touch you. You wanted to save that for him, and I always understood that, because deep down, I wanted you to be with him, too. I knew I was just someone to pass the time, and I was always okay with that.

“Because, Coraline, I love you, and I’ll probably never stop loving you, but, I’ve come to realize that the love I have for you isn’t romantic love. Being with you is familiar, and it’s why I haven’t really said any of this until now, because I was too scared to try something new.

“Cor, you’ve found who you’re meant to be with, and I think that that’s beautiful. And I think it’s time for me to do the same,” she admitted.

A tear fell from my eye as I opened my mouth to protest. I wasn’t ready to let her go. But Roz interrupted me before I could say anything.

“I’m not saying I won’t be your best friend anymore,” Roz smiled, “I’m just saying that you don’t have to feel guilty about leaving me for him. That’s why I wanted to do this. I wanted to be the one to let _you_ go. It’s time for me to find my person, and I can’t do that if we continue whatever this is.

“Besides, you know where your heart _really_ lies. And it’s always laid with him. I was selfish enough to borrow it for a few years, but it’s with its rightful owner now, and it should stay there,” Roz said.

I didn’t know how to reply to her speech. It was beautiful, and gave me a lot to think about. But, ultimately, I was glad she’d been the one to define what we’d had.

I reached over and pulled her top half into an awkward hug, which she happily returned. I felt a sob form in the base of my throat.

“ _I love you_ ,” I whispered to her, into her hair through my tears.

“I know,” she said, “But you love him more.”

.

**Roz is an angel and I will not have a bad word said about her.**


	36. 34

**CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR**

**Coraline**

My eyes blinked tiredly as I stared at the screen of Luna’s iPad. It was two in the morning and I couldn’t seem to sleep because the drugs they’d had me on screwed up my sleep schedule. At least I was comfortable, though. The nurse had finally allowed to change out of that dreaded hospital gown, so Luna had brought me a pair of comfy sweats.

I adjusted the buds in my ears as I skipped through the ads on the Jenna Marbles video I was watching. In all the chaos that had happened in my life, I felt like I needed some innocent humor to make myself feel better.

And Jenna was very helpful with that.

She was currently covering her face in rhinestones in an attempt to become a ‘beautuber’. Her ratchet salon was becoming out of control. Of course, there were newer videos that I could have been watching, but I enjoyed re-watching videos that I knew would make me laugh.

But I found that as I continued the video, it wasn’t giving me the same enjoyment I’d once gotten out of it. I didn’t know how to remedy my situation. My arm hurt and the doctors had told me they’d had to fight it getting infected because the knife Azzami had used to cut me wasn’t clean.

Figures.

When they’d removed the gauze and bandages to clean it, I’d finally gotten a look at what he’d written. I didn’t really understand the importance of the word ‘cooperative’ but I knew that it had something to do with Azzami’s brother.

The nurses had told me about my feet and ankles too. One of the girls told me that he’d branded Pashto symbols into my skin. The one under my right foot meant ‘revenge’, the one under my left mean ‘karma’, and the two on my ankles meant ‘eye’.

_An eye for an eye…_

Azzami was a sick bastard and I hated him for mutilating me this way. Because the brands would take weeks to heal, I wasn’t really supposed to be applying pressure to them. Which meant that I’d be confined to a wheelchair for a while, and that I wouldn’t be allowed to ride my bike.

That upset me more than being able to walk. Riding was a core part of who I was. I felt lost when I wasn’t able to ride.

I knew that Jax was holding my bike for me at his shop, because it had been scraped up a little on the day I’d been kidnapped. He was apparently doing some sick detailing in the paintwork and I couldn’t wait to see it.

Jax had a steady hand if I’d ever seen one.

I sighed as I exited out of the YouTube app and opened up a web browser. Luna had applied a setting where your home screen immediately showed you the local news for your area. My eyes widened as they settled upon the headline:

_FORECLOSED SLAUGHTERHOUSE GOES UP IN FLAMES_

I gasped as I pressed on the article. I began to dizzy myself at the fast pace I was trying to read the report. I forced myself to slow down.

_Abigail Wilson reports: Worried neighbors called authorities last night when columns of smoke began rising from the abandoned abattoir outside Okeechobee. Local Firefighters believe that the blaze was a deliberate act of arson._

_Local authorities have special technology that allows them to determine what kind of accelerant has been used to fuel the fire. They believe that the blaze was started with gasoline, and was contributed to by the explosion of three nearby vehicles._

_They currently have no suspects, but Okeechobee Police are aware of the location having become popular for illegal activities. Firefighters have spent the last eight hours fighting the blaze, and must now wait for the site to cool down before investigating the scene._

_Upon fighting the blaze, initial assessment showed no signs of life inside the building._

I let out a shaky breath as I finished the article. I had no doubts that the club was behind this. The amount of evidence that had been inside that damn building was incriminating enough to put the entire club away.

But I knew that this wasn’t the first incident that the club had had. I mean, there was that whole debacle with Lucas a few years ago, so I knew that Lou had made sure to cover our tracks.

The only part of the story that confused me was the lack of bodies. I had no idea where Lucas had arranged for them to be taken, but somehow, I knew that the police would never find them.

I jumped when I heard a sound at my door. My eyes snapped up to where it was creaking slowly open, only to reveal the one person I’d been dying to see.

He looked weary and tired enough to sleep for a year. His hair was messed up and he hadn’t shaved in days. My eyes filled with tears as a scowl came onto my face.

How dare he wait so long to come and see me, the asshole.

His eyes widened in shock slightly at seeing me sitting up in bed, awake, and glaring straight at him. His mouth set into a hard line as he sighed.

“I was hoping you would be asleep,” he said, his voice rough. He ran a hand through his hair and I kept glaring at him.

“I can tell,” I said, my voice venomous. “Otherwise you wouldn’t be sneaking in here at two in the damn morning.”

Gage winced at the tone of my voice. “Keep it down, Coraline.”

I scoffed. _He was telling me what to do, now? Where the hell did he get off?_

I shook my head. The man was so fucking infuriating. If I was wearing any, I’d throw a shoe at his head. Instead I continued to give him the full effect of my glare.

Ultimately, I was so incredibly mad because he hadn’t moved from his spot at the door. He was standing uncomfortably like he wanted nothing more than to run away, when all I wanted was for him to get over here and show me that he was sorry he didn’t come earlier.

I sighed and finally let go of my glare. I stared at the iPad in my hands, shutting it off and placing it down on the bed. After a few minutes of silence, I finally looked back up at him.

His face looked pained, like he was stopping himself from saying something, or doing something. I finally let my voice fill the air.

“Why?” I asked simply. I knew why he was here. It was obvious that he was leaving, and he’d snuck in here to see me one last time. Of course, he had counted on me not being conscious, but I guess things just work out in mysterious ways.

No, I wanted to know why he was running.

Gage sighed, his eyes becoming hard. He could’ve cut glass with that glare.

“I can’t put you in danger anymore,” he admitted, his voice low. He grimaced. “It’s for the best. You deserve a life to be happy, not a life where you have to look over your shoulder every two seconds. I can’t be with you and know that my actions are going to hurt you again… I just can’t.”

I frowned. He wasn’t giving me a choice. He was making this decision for me.

“You’re a fucking idiot,” I said. Gage glared at me and shook his head.

“Don’t start this now, Coraline.”

I rolled my eyes. “Start fucking what, Gage? You’re an idiot if you think that any of this shit happened because of you,” I said. “Azzami and his brother made their own choices. You didn’t do this.”

I looked down at the bandages on my feet. I clenched my hands in the sheets beside me. I wasn’t going to let him leave this room without a damn straight answer. He was delusional if he thought he was getting away from me.

My conversation with Roz ran through my mind.

 _“He’s your person,”_ she had said. Well, if he was my person, then I wasn’t fucking letting him go. I was going to fight for this, I just needed to show him that he could, too.

“I’m not having this argument, Coraline. I can’t stay here and witness what I did to you. You’re better off without me.”

I glared at him. “Quit being a fucking coward,” I seethed. Lucas had told me I was stubborn, and damn it, I wasn’t going to let this man get away.

“Don’t you dare call me a coward, Coraline,” Gage whipped, his eyes flashing as he paced in the room. He was battling with himself.

“Why? Because it’s true?” I challenged. “You can’t handle the situation so you’re running away. Just like you ran away ten years ago.”

“I am _not_ running away!” he yelled. His outburst was probably enough to wake every patient in this corridor. “I am trying to protect you!”

I rolled my eyes.

“The only place I’ve ever felt protected is with you, dumbass. If you leave, I’ll never feel safe.” I knew I was guilting him, but I didn’t care. I had half a mind to ignore my doctor’s orders, get out of this bed, walk over to him and show him how serious I was.

I couldn’t feel my feet but I was more than ready to make him see how much I needed him.

“Stop it, just stop,” he pleaded. His hands were behind his head, gripping at his hair so hard that I thought he was going to tear it out.

“No,” I said. I was serious about this. “No, I won’t stop until you get it through your thick damn skull.” I shifted in my bed, swinging my legs over the side to try and get up. Gage’s eyes flashed up to me and widened.

Before I knew what was happening, he was storming up to me and practically pushing me back into the bed.

“What are you doing? Don’t be stupid, Coraline, you have to stay in bed,” he said. My skin burned where he touched me. I wanted to pull him close and press my lips to his until he realized that he was the only thing that mattered to me.

“You don’t care if I hurt myself this way,” I said. “If you did, you would’ve come when Jax called you.” I looked into his eyes, demanding he tell me the truth. He closed his eyes softly at my words.

“It’s because I fucking care that I’m telling you to stay here,” he said, his voice pained. “You’re better off without me.”

“No,” I said. “If you’re going to leave, then I’m going to follow you.”

Gage glared at me. “Please stop making this so hard…”

I shook my head. “No.”

Gage glared at me. “Stop being so fucking stubborn, Coraline. I’m trying to do this to help you. This is the only way I know how.”

I shook my head. I moved my hand up to grip his forearm, anchoring him to me. “I don’t believe you,” I said. “You’re not trying to help me, you’re just scared of how strongly you feel for me.”

Gage’s eyes were glued to where my hand was on his arm, so I moved it up until I cupped his jaw, making him look into my eyes. I stared him down, trying to show him that I would never let him leave me.

He wrenched himself away from me, pacing the room again.

“You’re wrong,” he managed to get out. “I can’t be here anymore,” he said quickly, then darted for the door. My heartbeat started to race as I realized that this was his getaway moment. I didn’t know how else to make him stay, and I never wanted to use this against him, but before I knew it, the words were jumping out of my mouth.

“ _Zo edó áthlia kai spasména me epithymía_ ,” I whispered. Gage froze, his hand on the door as it swung open. He turned to give me a pained glare.

“What did you just say?” he demanded. A tear fell from my eye as I watched him before me. I wrung my hands together in my lap.

“Shut up and let me finish,” I snapped. “This took me a long time to learn.” Then I took a deep breath before I repeated myself.

“ _Zo edó áthlia kai spasména me epithymía,_ ” I repeated. “ _Diapernátai, sta ostá, Me pikría aftoú tou theoú pou édose odynirí agápi. O fíloi, aftó to páthos kánei ta ákra mou limp, Kai tréchei páno mou. Óli mou i agápi mou gia sas, i pio evgenikí agápi mou_.”

Gage was speechless as I spoke in Greek. I could tell that he was shocked.

“Where did you hear that?” he finally asked.

“I heard it from you,” I said, my voice small. “It’s a poem, right? Sappho?”

Gage said nothing as he watched me. His eyes were unblinking.

“Those are the words you spoke to me in Miami on the night we were together.” I stared into his eyes, wanting some kind of reaction. Something that told me he was willing to stay. “It took me a while to find the right translation on the internet, but I finally did.”

Gage’s eyes were wide as he listened. I knew he had no recollection of saying the poem to me, I had thought as much when it had happened. I knew it had been a reflex of his, and he hadn’t even realized it had happened because he was too caught up in his orgasm at the time.

And if he had remembered, I knew that there was no way he thought I’d remember it. So, I started to translate it.

“I live here miserable and broken with desire,” I said. “Pierced through, to the bones, by bitterness of this god forsaken love. O friends, this passion makes my limbs limp, and tramples over me…”

“ _All my love to you, my most bountiful love,_ ” he finished for me. My eyes were shining with tears at his contribution. He closed the door and leant his back against it. I stared him down.

“You’re an idiot if you think I don’t feel the same way about you,” I whispered. “An even bigger one if you don’t know that I think I always have.”

Gage gave me a pained stare. He looked conflicted as his hands clenched at his sides. I wanted him to come to me. I wanted me to kiss me until I passed out, just as long as he didn’t leave my side.

“Which is why I can’t let you leave, Gage,” I said as my tears began to fall. Just the thought of him leaving had me broken. “I won’t be safe without you right next to me, and you know it.”

I watched him run his hands through his hair and down his face. His eyes were closed in his hands, so I made my move.

I slid slowly from my bed as quietly as possible. He needed to see an act of strength from me, so I landed on my feet with a grimace. The weight on my bandaged feet was incredible and I could feel the wounds opening underneath.

But I didn’t care. I padded one foot in front of the other in a shaky walk often taken by babies taking their first steps. I waddled my way over to Gage. I knew only the words would truly make him stay, so I slowly opened my mouth. I reached up and cupped his face.

“Gage, _I love you_ , so please don’t leave me…”

His eyes snapped up at my words, staring at me with a level of desperation I’d never seen from a man before. He was in shock that I’d moved from the bed, and so quickly picked me up to relieve the pressure on me feet.

His eyes were filled with tears as he looked into my eyes. He was a broken man, and I was a broken woman. We needed each other, and I hoped he could see that in my eyes.

“I love you, too,” he whispered. I felt my cheeks become wet as my mouth slid into a pained smile, then I reached around his neck and pulled his lips to mine.

I needed him in a way I couldn’t explain, but he seemed to understand. His lips fell over mine with the urgency of a dying man. His beard was rough over my cheek, scratching at me but I didn’t care.

His arms crushed me closer to him, melding us together. I wrapped my legs around his waist where he stood, then wrapped both arms around his neck.

I wanted us as close to each other as was humanly possible, because I had finally admitted to myself that I was in love with this man. And I was over the moon that he felt the same way.

Lucas had been right, I was stubborn. But I was also selfish, so I was going to chain the love of my life to me and never let him leave.

I moaned softly into our kiss as the pressure of his lips on mine made me forget that I needed to breathe.

The air in my lungs made my insides burn but I didn’t care. My fingers tangled in the small curls at the nape of his neck and he groaned lowly in the base of his throat when I pulled. His mouth fell open as I twisted the strands between my fingers and I took that chance to take a small breath before his mouth was back on mine.

He squeezed my waist before wrapping his arms around me, making me gasp. He pressed his tongue into my mouth and I welcomed it. I welcomed his taste and the small amount of whiskey on his tongue.

So, he had needed liquid courage to come and see me?

 _Pussy,_ I laughed to myself.

Gage bit down on my bottom lip and pulled when he heard me laugh. I smiled into our kiss as my tears kept falling freely.

“Stop crying,” he pulled away slightly to say. I shook my head and pressed my lips back to his.

“Can’t,” I said, between kisses. He walked forwards before stopping at my bed. I unwrapped my legs as he laid me down carefully, then he laid down beside me. I rolled onto my side, as did he, trying to make the most of the space on this tiny hospital bed.

I ran my hand down his face, cupping his jaw as I looked straight into his eyes.

“Promise me you’ll stay,” I whispered. I stared into his eyes, searching for any indication that he wouldn’t. I searched for hesitation and unease, but was met with nothing but worry.

“Coraline–” he tried. I cut him off with a shake of the head and by pressing a finger to his lips.

“Please. I’m too selfish to let you go,” I pleaded. Gage didn’t say anything, he just moved forward and pressed his lips to mine. He kissed me slowly and languidly. It was sweet and I felt like he was tongue fucking my mouth.

When he pulled away, he pressed his forehead to mine and intertwined our fingers.

His eyes were closed as his words left his lips. “I’m with you,” he whispered. His eyes flickered open to meet mine, which were still shedding tears. He nodded slightly before pulling me back in.

He rolled me onto my back and lay on top of me. He held himself on his forearms so as not to crush me with his gigantic frame but I didn’t care. I pulled him down on top of me, loving the feeling of every part of his body molded to mine.

“You’re mine, _agápi mou_ ,” he whispered, pressing a small kiss to the tip of my nose. I smiled. This is what I wanted. This would be my small piece of forever.

“I love you, Trigger,” I said. Gage rolled his eyes and pressed his lips to mine. We fell asleep sometime after that, I didn’t really remember when. I just knew that I was folded into his arms and that he wasn’t going anywhere.

And that was enough for me.

.

**Y’all finally got the translation you wanted. I hope the wait was worth it.**


	37. 35

**CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE**

**Coraline**

I sighed as my hands were folded in my lap. I looked up beside me where Gage was standing. I couldn’t believe I was confined to this damn chair.

It had been a few weeks since I’d woken up and I’d been allowed to go home. I still didn’t trust my own house – I’d probably sell it and find a new place because I would never feel safe there – so I was staying with Gage. Not that I minded about that one bit.

Getting up to our bedroom took a little extra effort, seeing as I wasn’t allowed to walk anywhere. After my stunt in the hospital with Gage, I’d torn open the scabs from the brands on my feet. The nurses had not been happy at all because it meant that not only would it take longer to heal, but the scars would be larger.

I didn’t care. In the moment that it had happened, it was either open the wounds or let Gage walk away from me. I was never going to let the latter happen. So, when I’d been let out of the hospital, I’d been given strict orders to use the damn wheelchair for a few months.

And Gage was a damn stickler for the rules. So, he didn’t let me break them, ever.

It sucked.

If I didn’t love him, I’d hate him for making me rely on everyone else to help me do shit.

We had two wheelchairs in the house. There was one upstairs so that I didn’t have to ask for help to get myself out of bed and into the bathroom, and then there was one downstairs, which went everywhere else with me.

I was glad for Gage’s height and musculature frame, because I don’t know who else could’ve hauled me up and down those damn stairs every two seconds. I was also glad that Gage had stayed true to his word and hadn’t gone anywhere.

I was so thankful for that.

I honestly didn’t know what I would do if he’d left.

Gage reached down and took my hand in his as he stood beside me. I gave him a thankful smile and he only smiled sadly back at me. I knew he felt guilty every time he saw me in the chair, but today it was especially worse.

I was feeling the exact same way as him, because today was Gen’s funeral. And I was feeling the guilt in every fiber of my being.

Gage had pushed me along the grass and sat me near her casket. It was laid out next to two others. There was the prospect who’d been killed at the abattoir, and the prospect who’d been killed at the bar – something that no one seemed to want to tell me about until a few days ago.

I’d had no idea that another kid had died because of me.

I wiped at my eye as the minister we’d hired began the sermon. Gen’s parents were there, and I couldn’t look them in the eye. Her mom was the spitting image of Gen from the wiry frame to the fiery red hair. Her eyes were the same shade of green and they hurt for me to look at because all I could see was Gen, and the way I’d watched her life bleed from her eyes.

Gen’s mother was distraught. She knew her daughter had been caught up in club business, but didn’t know just how much. To spare her the brutality of her daughter’s murder, Lucas had told her that Gen had died in a car accident. Then he’d made sure that Gen had a closed casket.

Her parents didn’t need to lay eyes on the truth of their daughter’s death and see the clean bullet hole in her skull.

Gen’s father was a short man. He had gray hair and was balding on the top of his head. He was much rounder than his thin wife, but he looked homely and loving. I hated that his daughter was dead because of me.

Of course, they believed I was in a wheelchair because I was in the same car accident. They had come up to me earlier and asked if I was okay. I couldn’t lie to them, knowing I’d led to their daughter’s death, so I’d said nothing.

They didn’t blame me, but they should have. I could see a small amount of resentment in Gen’s mother’s eyes at the fact that I had survived the supposed crash and Gen hadn’t, but mostly, they just felt sorry for me.

I hated that Lucas had lied to them, but I knew it was necessary. If they knew what had really happened, it might have led to the end of the club.

The two prospect’s parents were there too. They both had closed caskets. The kid who’d been killed at the bar had been way too gruesome.

Apparently, his mother knew of the way he’d died, because it had been on the news and in police reports, so I felt sorry that she wasn’t shielded from the harsh reality of club life.

She hadn’t known he was a prospect, so I’m sure seeing a horde of bikers at her young son’s funeral was a shock to her. She seemed like a kind woman, with her blouse tucked neatly into her skirt and her hair in a simple pony tail.

She had come to the funeral bearing two large containers of chocolate chip cookies claiming they were the only part of her cooking that her late son was ever willing to eat. I had cried when I’d overheard that statement which prompted Gage to squeeze my shoulder.

Lucas had taken the containers and placed them with all the other food that would be consumed at the wake.

I couldn’t bear to watch the woman at the funeral. She was so visibly distraught, and had no husband or partner to comfort her. She was alone in her grief, and I felt her pain.

The second prospect had no parents. His brother was already a member of the MC but I didn’t know him well. He hid is grief in the bottle of scotch in his hand. It was half empty already.

Luna took her place on the other side of me as the sermon began. I wasn’t a religious person, but I felt every heartfelt word that came out of that minister’s mouth.

Lucas stood beside his fiancée with his arm wrapped around her shoulder as she cried softly. We were all a right mess. Jax was standing across the group from us with his shades on and his hands in his pockets.

I knew he preferred to keep things light, and topics and situations like this only made him uncomfortable. I was proud of him for showing up to pay his respects despite everything else.

My eyes fell over the caskets again. Both of the prospects had new leather jackets laid on top. They’d both been made honorary brothers in their deaths, and their cuts would be buried with them, patches and all.

It was what they deserved in the sacrifices they’d unwillingly made for the club.

Like every other member here, I was wearing my cut over an outfit of black. I looked up at Gage, who had his curls slicked back with the shades on top of his head.

His caramel skin really stood out underneath his outfit, but in my stage of grief I couldn’t appreciate how delicious he looked. Now wasn’t the time.

The minister said his last words before the funeral director began lowering the caskets into the ground. Gen’s mother’s sobs became all I could hear.

When they were laid in their graves, each member took their time to pay their respects. Some dropped flowers, some dropped handfuls of sand, others dropped a single silver coin.

Each artefact laid to rest with Gen and the prospects meant something to whoever dropped it inside. It was an odd addition to DireWolves funerals, but my father had implemented the tradition during his early years as President.

He felt that the act made their deaths more bearable. He felt that by having a member drop something important in their loved or lost one’s grave, it gave them the element of moving on. It was a beautiful sentiment, I had always felt.

When my mother had been buried, I had dropped in her favorite necklace, which she had gifted me on my eleventh birthday. When my father had died, I had dropped in the keys to his very first Harley.

Every gift I had ever given a loved one on their deathbed had been sentimental as heck, and yet, I had nothing for Gen and these prospects. I felt terrible, because I didn’t know either prospect well enough to give them a gift, and I felt I had already taken everything from Gen, so there was nothing I could gift her in death that would appease my conscience.

Gage seemed to notice my hesitation when it was my turn to present my gifts, so he reached into his pocket. He pulled out a ring with DW carved into the top.

I gasped as he pressed it into my hand. I couldn’t believe he had saved it for all this time. This ring belonged to Gen, and it had been taken from her by Azzami as a cruel joke slash warning.

It was time it returned to her.

So, I dropped it into her grave, watching as it landed at the head of her casket and stayed there on a bed of flowers. For the prospects, I simply dropped a silver coin into each grave as a way for them to pay the boatman into the next life.

I was sorry I had nothing more meaningful for them.

I watched as Gen’s parents dropped in a pair of her baby clothes. They were a tiny pink pair of satin pajamas with her name embroidered over the breast pocket. Her mother fell to the ground after she dropped them into her grave.

The first prospect’s mother dropped a folded piece of paper into her son’s grave. I had no idea what was written on it, but I could only hope that she was going to be okay.

The second prospect’s brother emptied the rest of his scotch into his brother’s grave. He drenched the flowers and the notes and the sand in the grave. I felt a tear slip from my eye as I watched him take a knee beside his brother’s grave.

I had had a hand to play in every person’s grief here today.

I couldn’t watch anymore of the funeral, so instead I looked down at my hands as the rest of the members each picked up a shovel. They began to fill the graves with dirt, the only ones not participating were the family members of each person being buried, Lucas, Luna, Jax, Gage and myself.

The rest of them watched on in silence while I sat in my chair and cried. When everyone finished, we left the cemetery. Gage helped me up into his truck before placing my chair into the tray.

Then he drove us to the clubhouse where we were holding the wake. I cried silently the whole way there, watching out the window as everything flashed by. I only looked up when Gage took my hand and held it the rest of the way there.

He stroked his thumb across the skin of my hand and it was then that I realized how hard he was taking this as well. I was feeling guilty for everything, but so was he.

When we got to the compound, he helped me out of the truck and carefully into my chair, before wheeling me inside. They were all in the den and out the back, drinking their sadness away.

There was plenty of food to be enjoyed, including the chocolate chip cookies from the prospect’s mom. I still felt terrible that I didn’t know either of their names.

Gage wheeled me outside and sat me at the edge of the group, before taking a seat beside me. Everyone was drinking in celebration of the three kid’s lives, but I wasn’t allowed to drink due to all the meds I was currently on, so I had nothing to distract me.

Someone came over and handed Gage a whiskey sour while I was left having water. I didn’t even want to be here. I wanted to go home and feel guilty in peace. I didn’t want to watch everybody else get plastered and forget the reason for their beer party in the first place.

Gage seemed to notice my discomfort with the party and gave me a look of understanding. So, he raised an eyebrow before putting down his drink and standing up. He picked me up out of my wheelchair and I didn’t object. Nobody paid us any attention as we left the party. I wrapped my arms around his neck then he carried me bridal style through the house until we wound up upstairs in his club bedroom.

I’d never been in there, and I knew he didn’t use it for anything. The room was bare of decorations, instead it just held a king-sized bed and an armchair in the corner. There was a bookshelf behind the headboard but there was nothing on it.

Gage sat us down in the arm chair with me on his lap. I laid my head on his chest and he rested a hand on my head.

“Just let it out,” he whispered. And I did. I cried into his shirt until it was more water than cotton. He stroked my hair until I ran out of tears.

I wanted to fall asleep in his arms. I felt completely responsible for everything that happened to Gen and the others, and I hadn’t been able to sleep because of it.

I hadn’t been interested in anything sexual with Gage. Kissing was enough for me for now. And he understood that, because I knew he was feeling the same.

He felt responsible for what had happened to me.

We were both broken, and only time would heal us. I was glad that he was by my side in this, and wouldn’t get mad at me for just being a little bit sad for a while. Because he was in the same boat.

He knew every feeling that was coursing through me, because they were going through him too. And when we were ready, and enough time had passed, we would move on and become stronger people.

Today was just not that day. So, I let him hold me close as we both grieved for people we didn’t even really know.

After a while of sitting in silence, Gage shifted beneath me and I looked up. He gave me an odd look.

“Move in with me,” he whispered. I frowned. I was confused.

“I already live with you,” I said, tracing the wrinkles I had made in his shirt. Gage shrugged.

“For real, though. Sell your house and live with me,” he said. I gave him a slow smile. I would have moved into his house even if he hadn’t asked me to. He wasn’t getting rid of me.

I reached my hand up and pulled his face down to mine for a slow kiss. It was a closed mouth kiss, because I didn’t need anything more than that.

“I would love to,” I whispered. “Besides, I already signed a leave of contract with my real estate a few days ago,” I grinned. Gage’s eyes widened.

“When? I’ve been with you the whole time,” he asked. I smiled.

“You went to the bathroom and Luna had the papers for me to sign,” I chuckled. Gage rolled his eyes.

“Sneaky. Were you ever going to tell me?” he asked.

“This is me telling you,” I grinned. Gage scoffed.

“You know what I meant. Or were you just going to live in my house forever?”

I shrugged. “Like you would let me leave anyway,” I laughed. Gage considered my words for a moment but then squeezed me tighter.

“You’re right. I’m never letting you go,” he whispered. Then he pressed a kiss to the top of my head as I rested back into his chest. And we stayed like that until Luna came looking for us.

Apparently, we had to come and try the prospect’s mom’s cookies because they were to die for. And, honestly? They were. I could tell why they were her son’s favorite treat.

After that, I felt a little more okay. I didn’t think I’d ever be fully okay, and I would have the scars to remind me of my hardships, but ultimately, I would be okay.

Because I was surrounded by my club and my friends. I had a family in Lucas, but most importantly, I had Gage.

Forever.

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**Sometimes we have to go through the hard times to find the good.**

**And that’s the end of the book!**


	38. Epilogue

**EPILOGUE**

**1 Year After The Funeral**

**Coraline**

I watched in the mirror at the way the white dress seemed to shimmer in the sunlight. Every line and pearl bead were perfectly placed. The navy-blue triangle patterns around the hem of the skirt even perfectly reflected Cherokee custom.

“You just look so beautiful.”

“I know, right? I seriously can’t wait to walk down the aisle and see him there. Honestly like a dream come true, right?”

I sipped at my champagne, cringing at the weak taste as I listened to the other girls.

Luna really did look beautiful though.

Her golden hair was hanging just below her shoulders. Her dress was stark white, besides the navy detailing at the bottom. It was a simple dress, sleeveless with a cinched waist and a flared skirt.

It suited her.

She opted not to wear a veil. I was sitting on a lounge behind her in a navy-blue number to match her dress detailing. It a floor length A-line dress with a small bow around the waist. It wasn’t the most flattering, but I didn’t care. It wasn’t my day and I was much too happy for my almost sister-in-law to really care about whatever kind of dress she wanted me to wear.

I was just glad I was rid of my crutches, or worse, that damn friggin wheelchair. I’d had to be carted around in that thing for like three months, then I had to hobble for another four months on crutches while I waited for my feet to heal.

The hospital had told me it would take anywhere between six and twelve months for them to fully heal, but I’d basically told them to shove it after seven months.

Seven months without riding my bike? Just shoot me.

_Well at least I got to ride something else in the meantime..._ If I had said that out loud, Luna would have given me a wink, Lucas would have glared at me, and Gage would have chuckled discreetly. He had come out of his shell a little in the past year.

He showed me a person who could be as funny as he was stoic, and it never failed to surprise me. I always loved seeing that damn smile on his stupid face.

I fell more in love with him every single day.

Too bad I wasn’t allowed to see him until the ceremony. Instead, I was stuck in here with Luna’s friends while Gage was off with my brother’s groom party. And it’s not that I didn’t like Luna’s friends, it was just that they were a little too cheerleader screechy for me.

The were the kind of girls who squealed at every new piece of information and it was starting to do my head in a little bit. I was trying to get through the afternoon by drinking terrible champagne when really, I needed something much _much_ stronger.

Like vodka.

Yes, vodka would be good right about now.

We had a little while to kill before golden hour. Luna and Lucas were having a wedding that incorporated both Western and Native American traditions, hence the detailing on her dress. Traditionally, Cherokee weddings take place at sundown, so that’s what we were waiting around for.

Basically, I had about an hour to skull another few drinks before I had to make my way outside. They were holding the wedding in the large meeting area between all the houses in the compound.

They wanted somewhere familiar and informal, and I thought that they’d done a great job of keeping it simple, but making it beautiful.

That was really Luna’s specialty.

So, an hour and many drinks later, I’d endured the endless chatter of Luna’s friends, and we were finally walking out to the ceremony. Luna was waiting in one of the bedrooms of the clubhouse, and the other bridesmaids and I were mingling with the groomsmen.

I could find Gage and I was getting worried, because he was supposed to walk with me. I told myself not to worry, he was probably just helping my brother sober up or something.

But then I heard all the drums start. I frowned and checked my watch. Luna’s first two bridesmaids left with their groomsmen and began walking outside and down to the ceremony.

Gage and I were supposed to go after the next two. I frowned and was about to go storming through the house to look for him when I felt a pair of hands land on my waist. I jumped when I felt someone press a quick kiss to my neck before walking around to face me.

He looked delicious.

So delicious that I wanted to ignore Luna’s schedule, drag him into a nearby bathroom and have my way with him. From the look in his eyes, he was thinking the same thing.

But instead of undressing me like I so badly wanted him to, he took my hand, wound the other around my waist and then pressed a languid kiss to my lips. I smiled when he pulled away.

“You’re beautiful,” he smiled. I loved that damn smile. I loved the way it started in one corner of his lips and then crept its way across his face.

“You don’t look too shabby, yourself, Sergeant,” I grinned, admiring the way the tuxedo was making his ocean blue eyes pop. Gage rolled his eyes at my words and took my arm. It was our turn to walk out.

So, to the beat of the Cherokee drums, we left the house and began our small walk down to the firepit. The walkway was lined with baby’s breath flowers, and rose petals, down to where the entire wedding party and guests stood in a giant circle around the firepit.

I smiled up at my brother, who looked great in his tuxedo. It was dark with the same navy-blue triangles detailing around the collar, as were around Luna’s dress. Then, the drums changed to the beat of the wedding march as Luna made her way down the path.

Her blonde locks shone in the glow of the setting sun and the smile on her face was completely radiant. She walked slowly to the beat of the song as I stood next to Gage. His arm was wrapped around my waist as we stood.

The bridesmaids and groomsmen weren’t separated like they would normally be in a Western wedding. Instead, the four pairs were circled around the firepit, where Luna and Lucas would tie the knot.

The minister was on one side of the fire pit, and Lucas stood on the other, waiting for his wife-to-be. The fire was not yet lit, as that was a part of the ceremony.

When Luna took her place beside my brother, the drums stopped and the crowd became silent. The minister began his speech and I leant my head on Gage’s bicep. It was the tallest part of him that I could reach.

He rubbed his finger over the material of my dress in a soothing pattern as we listened to the minister. He gave his regular wedding spiel about true loves and couples lasting forever before he called for the blankets to be laid on the couple.

Two children from the MC walked up holding two blue blankets. Luna and Lucas bent down so that the children could drape the blankets over their forms. The blue blankets traditionally represented the elements of the couple's individual past lives.

The minister blessed their union, then called for the local Cherokee leader to step forward.

As Cherokee heritage is often matrilineal, a woman usually holds the most senior position in the community. It used to be my grandmother who held the position, but when she passed it went to the next woman in line.

She came forward holding a white blanket. The blue blankets were dropped from Lucas and Luna’s shoulders before the white blanket was draped over the two of them. The white blanket traditionally represented the couple's dedication to filling their new lives with peace and happiness.

The minister then had the couple take the Rite of the Seven Steps. Each person was supposed to take seven steps around the firepit. With each step they would recite a vow, led by the minister. Lucas took his first step and recited his vow, then Luna followed. Then Lucas took his second step and so on until they were back to their places.

Then they exchanged rings to symbolize eternal love that has no beginning and no end.. Traditionally, Cherokee’s didn’t exchange rings because the didn’t have the materials, but this was something that Luna wasn’t willing to budge on. So, their rings were a sterling silver, but Luna’s had a turquoise colored band in the middle, and Lucas had an opal colored band.

Then they began the Vase ceremony. The sun had long set by now, so some of the brothers had turned on the spotlights to illuminate the ceremony. The minister picked up a large vase that had two holes in the bottom.

The vase was to be filled with water and the bride and groom had to each drink from a hole as a toast to their union. It was believed that a couple that could drink simultaneously without spilling a drop is anticipated to have good understanding with them throughout their marriage.

Luna and Lucas were laughing when they finished drinking from the vase.

Then lastly came the Fire ceremony. Both of them were handed a long-stemmed candle from the Cherokee woman. Their fires were to represent their individual lives. The minister had them each recite a prayer before they then bent down to the unlit firepit. They placed their candles in carefully, lighting the stack of wood placed there together. The dual ignition of the fire symbolized their individual lives becoming one.

That was the end of the Cherokee parts of the wedding, but Luna had refused to let her ceremony without kissing her new husband, so the minister had them join hands in front of their new fire.

Then he announced them man and wife. Lucas pulled her into his arms and dipped her backwards as he kissed her. The guests laughed and clapped, and Luna was laughing when her new husband let her go again.

The kept their hands clasped together as Lucas declared everyone to go inside for the reception. He shook hands with the minister and nodded his head respectively to the Cherokee elder before we all went up to the house.

Before we could walk up, Gage turned to me and wrapped both of his arms around my waist. He hoisted my up slightly so that I could press my lips to his. He squeezed me tightly as we kissed each other.

Sometimes, he just read my mind. We didn’t need to speak to each other, our connection ran deeper than that. He could give me a look and I’d know exactly what it meant, and he felt the same about me.

And right now, he was happy. And I was happy. And I was content to celebrate our happiness in this small moment together. I loved him, and I was never going to stop.

We finally pulled away from each other and he took my hand. “Come on,” he said, “I rather like drunk Coraline and I would very much enjoy seeing her surface tonight.” I laughed, rolling my eyes as he began dragging me up to the clubhouse where I could hear music already pounding.

Hours later, the party was still going strong. I’d too many vodka raspberries to count but I didn’t care. Gage was looking at me like I was the only person in the world who mattered and I was okay with that.

Gage pulled me out to the middle of the dancefloor and wrapped his arms around my waist. We began swaying softly to the music playing and I smiled lazily up at him. I looked around the wedding party, smiling at the lazy drunk faces of my friends as they got themselves completely smashed.

They were all going to feel it tomorrow. Me included.

I turned back to Gage and grinned. He raised his eyebrow at me as his lip quirked up slightly.

“What crazy idea is running through that pretty little head of yours, _agápi mou_?”

I melted whenever he spoke Greek to me, and he knew it. It was my not so secret little kink, and I had to squeeze my legs together to stop the heat from pooling there.

“Oh, it’s nothing,” I smiled. “I was just thinking that I’ll bite your dick off if you don’t give me a wedding as beautiful as this someday.”

Gage rolled his eyes at me. “You would never,” he chuckled. “You’d miss it too much.” Sure, we’d spoken about marriage and kids before, but I knew that neither of us were really ready for that. I mean, I was only twenty-six.

And he was right about the dick comment. I would miss it too much. Gage’s dick was perfect enough that I truly believed it had been crafted by a god. And I no doubt thanked that god every damn day for my beautiful gift. Gage was heaven on earth, and I was always in awe that he was all mine.

And he could fuck like a damn Trojan.

Just the thought made me weak in the knees. I could feel my arousal becoming deeper with every passing moment with Gage. He leaned down and pressed a sweet kiss to my lips.

“But I can promise our future wedding will be every bit as beautiful as this one, and more,” he smiled. “And who knows… Maybe one day our little twosome will become three.”

I cocked an eyebrow at him and smiled. I never realized just how much I wanted that future with Gage until right in that moment.

He grinned, obviously liking my reaction, before he pulled me up for a mind blowing kiss. I was more than willing to give it to him, and my thought from before the wedding about wanting to drag him into a bathroom was still more than even a little bit in play.

But just as I was about to drag him that way, I heard someone tap on a microphone. I frowned and turned around only to see Luna staggering her way through the room, mic in hand. I grinned as I watched.

Drunk Luna was fun.

“Alright ladies, it’s bouquet catching time,” she giggled. “Take your places, because this shit is about to get fuckin’ wild.”

There was a bunch of squealing as I watched all the girls bunch into a group in front of Luna. There was also a bunch of cheering and yelling coming from the mouths of every drunk man in the room.

My eyes fell on Lucas, who was grinning lovingly at his new wife. I was so glad to see him happy with Luna after all the shit they’d been through.

I leaned back into Gage, enjoying the way his arms circled around my front. We were both still slightly swaying despite there being no music, I was just drunk on happiness.

I felt him lean down to speak in my ear.

“You should go join them,” he whispered in my ear. I moved my head to frown up at him. Was he serious? I would get trampled in that mob of crazy girls. Gage just shrugged at me.

“Go enjoy yourself, moró,” he smiled, then practically pushed me forwards. I scowled at him, but was secretly happy that he had pushed me towards the girls.

Luna began a countdown and turned around so that she wasn’t facing the crowd. When she got to one, the girls began screaming as I watched Luna let the flowers fly. My eyes tracked it as it sailed through the air, then before I knew what was happening, I was jumping to catch it along with the rest of the girls.

My eyes widened in shock and my mouth fell open when the bouquet landed in my fingertips. Luna turned around and squealed, jumping up and down when she saw that I’d caught it.

I looked up at her in shock, then turned around to give Gage the same look. Only, when I turned, he wasn’t where I expected him to be.

Instead, he was crouched on one knee with a face splitting grin on his face, and a ring in his hand. I dropped the bouquet as a racquet of excited cheers erupted behind me.

Gage raised his eyebrow. He was doing that thing where he asked me a question without actually asking me. So, I answered.

I ran up to him and jumped into his arms, kissing him with fervor as he slid the ring on my finger. When I pulled away, I was breathless and crying.

“A million times yes, you sappy cheeseball,” I whispered. Gage just grinned and pressed his lips to mine again in a hurried kiss.

And damn it if I wasn’t completely wet. What? I couldn’t help it. The man knew how to kiss.

And how to propose, apparently.

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**HOUSE KEEPING:**

**The extra bonus chapters and fun facts that used to be added to this work on Wattpad can now be found under the story titled 'Redemption MC#4'**

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